Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mark Shields. - File

WESTERN BUREAU:

The St. James police is working to get control of the recent upsurge of gun violence in the community of Salt Spring.

A 24-year-old man is in hospital nursing multiple gunshot wounds he received during an attack at his home in Quarry, Salt Spring, on Thursday night.

The shooting occurred less than a day after gunmen killed two brothers, 27-year-old taxi operator Owen and 32-year-old Donald Crawford, both of Quarry.

A large quantity of M-16 and AK-47 spent shells were recovered from the scene of the double murder.

Emerging problem

"Our intelligence tells us that Salt Spring is an emerging problem, and I have discussed with the superintendent for the parish how best we can deal with it. We are focussed on intelligence-led in formation dealing with all of the crime hot spots," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields.

"We need to get the weapons off the streets like the AK-47s which are being used (in the murders). The police in St. James have had significant success in removing the illegal guns, but we need to do more, as with the wider problem of illegally smuggling weapons into the country."

DCP Shields was on a three-day visit to Montego Bay where he met with department heads in the Area One Police Division.

Residents say that there have been several flare-ups in the community since the police increased its patrols in the neighbouring violence-prone Norwood.

To date, 110 persons have been killed in the parish since the start of this year. Last year, 137 people were killed in the parish.

Police visibilty

On Wednesday, 30-year-old barber, Dwayne West was gunned down at his home in the nearby Glendevon community.

He was killed when two armed men kicked open the door to his house as he slept with his six-year-old mute brother. The child escaped unhurt.

"There will be a high visibility of police in hot spots across the parish, and I again urge the citizens of St. James to come forward and work with the police," DCP Shields added. "I have spoken at length to the detectives investigating the murders of the Crawford brothers and there are a number of significant leads, which we hope will lead to an arrest soon."