KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness has directed the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to intensify operations targeting gangs following Friday’s shootout in Sligoville, St Catherine, which claimed the lives of two policemen and left several others injured.

Holness, who arrived on the island on Saturday, was briefed on the incident by Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake.

“The policy direction is that you should intensify the operations that you have planned to target the criminals, the gang leaders, those you have been pursuing with intelligence. Bring them forward, because what this has shown is a new level of criminal organisation that is a threat to our national security. Whatever resources you need, we will discuss it,” he said.

The prime minister said the incident should serve as a watershed moment and a turning point in efforts to dismantle gangs. He also extended condolences to the families of Corporal Trevoy Shaw and Constable Devoney Rose, who were hit with bullets as they attempted to rescue a child during the incident.

“It was a devious trap. The officers were fired upon as they approached to retrieve the child, and that’s how they lost their lives. They are heroes. That is calculated brutality. That is sheer evil. It is a stark reminder that we cannot let down our guard or relax our laws; we must maintain our resolute posture against organised criminal networks,” said Holness.

The incident unfolded about 5:15 am on Friday when a team from the JCF’s Special Operations Unit was conducting an operation in the Five Miles area of Sligoville, St Catherine, in search of wanted men.

The cops were reportedly clearing a building on the premises when they came under gunfire from men who had barricaded themselves inside the house among other occupants. During the exchange, a young girl who was inside the building sustained gunshot injuries and remains hospitalised.

READ: Cop killed, others injured in Sligoville gun battle

Holness said the police must identify every individual who facilitated the shooting.

“We must separate these evil men from our society. We must stop making excuses for men who carry illegal guns, terrorise communities and prey upon the vulnerable. They are not protectors. They are not justified by poverty, exclusion or social injustice. They are not freedom fighters; they are not Robin Hoods; they are not rebels or misunderstood victims. They are parasites and pestilence upon our society, and they are an obstruction to its progress.

“Society is better off without them. They must be identified, disarmed, arrested, prosecuted and removed from our communities through the full and uncompromising force of the law,” Holness emphasised.