ON THE heels of citizens' calls for help in curbing the recent upsurge of violence in sections of east Kingston, a joint police-military operation was carried out before dawn yesterday morning.
The areas of 'Dunkirk', McIntrye Villa and the notorious 'Red Square,' were covered and 32 people were detained. Five of those picked up are suspected to have been involved in crimes in and around the Corporate Area.
Superintendent of Police for the Kingston East division, Assan Thompson told The Gleaner that the police "will be continuing this type of operation until things come back to normal." He explained that over the past three weeks, there were eight murders in the area, and he believed that with the detention of these people, there was a great possibility that the murders would be prosecuted.
Over the past months there has been a deluge of violent and criminal activities in the Kingston East division in which both civilians and the police have been attacked. The violence is alleged to be as a result of vicious gang wars among communities.
In another incident on Friday night, a man was shot and killed 'accidentally', in an 'illegal gun' salute at a dance in Rockfort.
... 17-y-o stabbed to death in Race Course
Seventeen-year-old Romane Brissett of Race Course in Westmoreland was stabbed to death early yesterday morning following an altercation with a 12-year-old boy.
The Constabulary Communi-cation Network reported that Romane and his brother were walking along Patrick Drive in the parish, when they got into a dispute with the young boy.
It is alleged that the 12-year-old stabbed him to death. The boy is now in police custody.
- A.W.
