Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

Black flags attached to utility poles in inner-city communities flapped reluctantly in the rain yesterday afternoon, as if waving goodbye to the over 1,300 persons who have been murdered in separate incidents across the island since January. More than 300 of the victims have been slain since September.

The black flags, which also hang from zinc fences, have become a part of everyday life for inner-city residents. They are seen in most inner-city communities across the Corporate Area. In fact, they have become a permanent fixture in these communities where people are killed almost weekly.

When the flags become worn, they are replaced with murals of the deceased, painted on walls.

Speaking briefly with The Gleaner yesterday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green, who heads the Major Investigation Task Force (MIT), said there has been a great deal of improvement in the approach to solving these murders.

"We are working much better now with witnesses and the community, plus, we are doing well in the way how we gather our forensics," said ACP Green.

The senior officer stressed that Operation Kingfish and the MIT have been doing a fantastic job, but, despite the efforts of the security forces, gunmen continue to wreak havoc in a number of communities.

From Rockfort and Mountain View in the east, to Waterhouse and Barbican in the north, Maxfield Avenue and Waltham Park Road to the west, and sections of central Kingston, gunmen have left behind a trail of blood and hundreds of persons mourning their loved ones.

In his seven-point strategic crime plan, National Security Minister Derrick Smith promised to implement an effective social intervention programme that would reduce the country's homicide rate by 40 per cent.

Among his short-term strategic plans is a move to flood the streets with more police while removing the criminals, illegal guns and ammunition.