RIVAL gangs have been joining forces, recruiting the best of the best, to carry out well-organised, high-value robberies, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang has revealed.

However, the police have improved intelligence and analytical capabilities that are already contributing to successful prosecutions of gangsters, he added.

Chang, who was making his contribution to the 2023/24 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, said it has been observed that these “organised criminal terrorists” have been shifting away from carrying out petty crimes such as picking phones and handbags, and are now operating in organised alliances to hit high-value targets.

“These kinds of criminal activities tend to generate heightened national concern, such as the stealing of automated teller machines (ATMs), where we know they have acquired the equipment to rapidly extract the [machine]. They can cut out and remove an ATM in less than 10 minutes, [and are] targeting cash in transit and other cash-heavy locations,” he said.

Chang said that due to this newly formed pact, inter-gang wars have been reduced significantly, pointing out that “You don’t hear too much about this gang against that gang, but it relates to what is happening in terms of the organised criminal activity.”

“What they have formed is alliances between gangs to make this big, high, public interest criminal activity. So we find gangs taking the best drivers from one area, or the driver who knows the area well, they find ‘shottas’ from another area, and they organise and ‘spy out’ on a particular event,” he said.

Chang said that, through intelligence-driven operations, many of these criminals have been intercepted, stressing that the police “are not sitting back and waiting; they are taking strategic action”.

“The police have built up an excellent intelligence team, but they are going further to analyse their activities and are developing effective strategic deployments in response [to these incidents],” he said.

The security minister said the successful use of modern fit-for-purpose equipment and tools are evidenced by the recent convictions of various gang members.

He pointed to the Klansman gang trial, in which 15 people have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing; and the Uchence Wilson trial in which nine people have been convicted and sentenced. In addition, Chang said there are other gang trials presently before the courts involving: the Ranco gang; King’s Valley extension gang — Umbrella gang; Singer/Night-time gang; Jaggy gang; and another 51 gangs with more than 1,000 members are on the police radar.

As proof of the police’s improved capabilities to nab criminals, Chang pointed to the recent Beryllium robbery case at Braeton Parkway in Portmore in which four of seven vehicles involved were seized and eight suspects taken into custody, and one charged.

“The police are acting decisively and have the intelligence and the capacity to monitor these criminals. We will find the rest of the vehicles,” he assured.