ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake has vowed that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will not retreat in its fight against criminal gangs following Friday morning’s deadly gun attack on police personnel in Sligoville, St Catherine, which left one officer dead and another critically injured.

In a strongly worded statement, Blake condemned the attack, declaring that the police would intensify their efforts to dismantle criminal networks responsible for violence across the island.

“Let there be no misunderstanding. The Jamaica Constabulary Force will not be intimidated. We will not retreat and we will not relent,” Blake declared.

“Those responsible and the criminal networks that enable them will be pursued, dismantled and be brought to justice. There can be no community ceded to gunmen, no safe haven for gangs, no territory beyond the reach of the law,” he added.

The deceased officer has been identified as Corporal Trevoy Shaw, who was attached to the JCF’s Special Operations unit.

Another policeman, who sustained gunshot wounds to the head, is undergoing surgery, while several other police personnel and a young girl were also injured during the confrontation.

The girl is reportedly in serious but stable condition.

READ: UPDATE: Two men killed after gun battle with police in Sligoville

Reports are that about 5:15 am, a team from the JCF’s Special Operations unit was conducting an operation in the Five Miles area of Sligoville in search of wanted men.

The officers were reportedly clearing a building on a premises when they came under heavy gunfire from two men who had barricaded themselves inside a house with other occupants.

Both gunmen were subsequently killed during the confrontation.

According to Blake, the officers were pursuing a high-risk target linked to violent crime when they came under sustained gunfire.

“This tragedy lays bare the brutal conditions our officers confront daily, pursuing the most violent elements in our society, so that Jamaicans can live without fear,” the commissioner said.

“We expect every officer we deploy to return home safely. Today, that expectation was shattered,” he added.

Blake also expressed condolences to the family of the fallen corporal and pledged the force’s support for the injured officer and his relatives.

“We mourn with the family of our fallen colleague and stand firmly with the family of our injured member,” he said.

Despite the tragedy, the police commissioner maintained that the JCF remains resolute in its efforts to confront violent criminals.

“Our resolve is undiminished, our duty unchanged. We grieve, but we will act,” Blake declared.