He has urged denominations - Pentecostal, Church of God, or Seventh-day Adventist, among others - to host one week of revival meetings in the area to stem the tide of bloodshed caused by criminals.

Hinds, who chairs the Portmore Municipal Council, said that while state organs have not been able to curb crime, residents could tap into divine power to take back control.

"We are under siege. I need help in Newland and I want all of these men and women of God to unleash Matthew chapter 28, verse 19 on Newland," said Hinds, while addressing congregants at the Power of Faith Ministries church, which is celebrating its 26th anniversary.

"There are some young men in the Newland area that have forgotten that they were born of a woman and there is a God. You (the churches) just need to go out there and reclaim that area in the name of Jesus," he said.

The most recent graphic episode in the wave of violence saw a 90-year-old woman being killed on November 14 in an arson attack in a section of Newland called Hardware Lane.