Police divisions in Area Four will be targeting gangs which they say are behind the crime wave affecting the Corporate Area.

Head of Area Four, acting Assistant Commissioner Michael Phipps, shared that many of his divisions are known to have several conflicts and other issues surrounding gangs.

The acting ACP said, as such, a very critical part of the police strategy is to give particular focus on the gangs, especially those that are involved in murders and shootings across the divisions.

“The year has not been off to a very good start in terms of the number of violent crimes that we have been seeing,” acting ACP Phipps admitted. “We are intolerant of the high levels of crime, and our investigations have shown, so far, that the gangs are responsible for the current high crime wave that we are seeing across the Area Four space.”

He said dismantling the gangs is critical to achieving a drastic reduction in crime.

“We want them to know that we know who they are; we know what they are doing, and we will use the law to disrupt their illegal activities. And, of course, we will adopt a zero-tolerance approach regarding them,” he promised.

Two men who the police said were gang members were shot dead in operations in the Kingston Eastern division between Tuesday and Wednesday. Firearms were seized in both incidents.

One of the men, Paul Cassanova, otherwise called Pablo, police shared was a leader of the Bayshore Park gang, which is involved in a bloody conflict over turf with the Jarrett Lane gang.

Police told Observer Online that Cassanova fled the Bayshore Park community after a falling out and went to live in Mountain View, where he aligned himself with the gang from Jarrett Lane. Following this, he planned and launched attacks against his former associates.

While Cassanova was a member of the Bayshore Park gang, the police said he was charged with murder and other firearm-related charges. His death will ease tensions in both communities, the police believe.

The other deceased, Ackeem Chance, otherwise known as Lee, 28, from Rollington Town, Kingston, was said to be a member of the Montaque Street gang and was also affiliated with the Oliver Road gang based in Rockfort.

The police revealed that Chance was one of the shooters in the killing of five men in Rockfort on Heroes Day, October 21, 2024. His death, the police said, has impacted the Montaque Street, Back Road and Oliver Road gangs.

With this in mind, Phipps advised gang members to surrender when accosted.

“I would like to urge the gangsters to surrender and not to, in any way, challenge or resist if we come to arrest them,” he warned.

The ACP said the police are seeking the help of residents in the gang-dismantling efforts.

“We, at all times, seek the support of our law-abiding citizens and continue to urge them to tell what they know and assist us in effectively treating the issues of gangs and their actions,” he added.