MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Police and military teams have been deployed to Manchester to combat a surge in crime there even as sources say multiple suspects have been apprehended in targeted operations by the security forces.

OBSERVER ONLINE sources say among those arrested are suspects and persons of interest in armed robberies, break-ins among other crimes.

“We have a man in custody now from St Elizabeth who we captured last week Thursday in New Green. We picked up another five men today (Thursday) at the border in Scott’s Pass in a big operation. We are targeting all parts of the parish in search of all persons of interest and suspects,” said a reliable police source.

“We ramping up operations right across the Manchester division. We have to pull out all the stops. Manchester can’t continue with crime like this. We have people involved in murders and shootings, we are looking for them,” added the source.

On Monday head of the Manchester police Superintendent Shane McCalla told journalists that known criminals are being pursued with the help of external forces.

Read: Increased targeted operations in Manchester, police say

— Kasey Williams