ST JAMES, Jamaica — The St James police say they are ramping up stop and search efforts as they target wanted individuals and persons who may be carrying prohibited weapons post Hurricane Beryl, indicating that the category four storm may have prompted criminal elements to seek out new hiding spots for illegal firearms.

“We are relentless in our efforts to rid the streets of all these illegal weapons and especially post Hurricane Beryl. We’re ramping up efforts as we believe persons will be moving these weapons from their hiding places because of the impact that the hurricane may have on the various locations so we have increased our stop and search and targeted operations within the division,” said Superintendent Eron Samuels. “We believe that we need to as best as possible, rid the streets of these weapons and go after the wanted persons and ensure that we create a safe environment within the St James division.”

As a result of the police’s efforts, a stop and search on Thursday resulted in the seizure of a Browning single action pistol with 11 live rounds. The weapon reportedly fell from a man’s pants as he exited a vehicle that was stopped by the police. The man is now in police custody along with two other individuals who occupied the vehicle at the time of the search.

The St James police say the latest seizure brings to 58 the number of illegal weapons retrieved across the division since the start of the year.