Deputy Superintendent of Police in charge of the St Catherine North Division Paul Bernard says the police will not relent in its efforts to curb crime in Spanish Town and its environs.

This follows a joint police-military operation on Thursday morning that led to the discovery of two 9mm pistols, several rounds of ammunition and a ballistic vest.

According to Bernard, the team was met with heavy, continuous gunfire in the vicinity of the Tyre Warehouse, close to the Spanish Town bypass at approximately 5:20 am.

Bernard said the lawmen subsequently returned fire.

When the exchange quelled, three men were arrested, one of whom sustained injuries and had to be treated at hospital. The two firearms were recovered in the bushes.

The police say they will continue their operation in the area as they are determined to disrupt ongoing violence in the area.

“There have been three murders since the start of the month, along with three shootings and a case of arson… We are still continuing our operation. We will not relent. We will spend the whole day in this place because we need the rifles, and this mayhem must stop,” Bernard told OBSERVER ONLINE.

He stated that despite the criminal elements’ access to guns, the police are resolute in the fight against crime for the ‘long haul’.

“We are trained persons, we don’t matter the high powered rifles they have. We in this for the long run.”