ST JAMES, Jamaica — Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang has revealed that recent shootings in the Mount Salem community which have left three dead and two injured, can be linked to individuals who were once involved in gang activity.

According to the minister, while the big gangs have been contained, individuals are the ones who have recently been wreaking havoc. Chang was speaking with the media Saturday after touring Crawford Street and the main road in Mount Salem with members of the security forces.

“In the Mount Salem area, we don’t even have an identifiable big gang. It’s more community-based and family related. Everybody knows everybody but the increased activity in scamming has generated a lot of financing and of course there are still guns available and people are willing to use them,” the minister explained.

“There are still young men who were a part of that gang who are still the face of it and there is this continued quest for violence,” he added.

The flare-up in crime has occurred despite the community being declared a zone of special operations (ZOSO), a tool employed since 2017. The ZOSO was to have been a two-pronged approach to fixing the problem — rid the community of criminals while providing social support for residents.

Chang believes the initiative is still on track.

“We’ve had less than 10 murders over the seven-year period and this is the first one in about eight months. What it reflects is the original concept is still there, that will bring peace,” he asserted.

This view was also shared by Assistant Commissioner of Police for Area One, Clifford Chambers who was on the tour.

“From a policing standpoint, it is clear that the zone of special operations is working. When you look at the statistical figures of murders, shootings and major crimes, it is clear that it is working,” Chambers insisted.