Four Firearms Seized in Kingston as Area Four Police Step Up Operations

Area Four police recovered four firearms across Kingston Western, Central and Eastern following intensified operations. One man was arrested; another fatally shot after challenging officers.

Four Guns Off Kingston Streets After Multi-Day Police Drive

Area Four police have recovered four firearms across Kingston following a series of intensified operations spanning several days, the Jamaica Observer reports.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Phipps, head of Area Four, said officers escalated investigations and operations throughout the Corporate Area, yielding results in Kingston Western, Kingston Central and Kingston Eastern.

The first weapon — a 9mm pistol — was seized in Kingston Western after two men were shot and injured at the corner of Upper West Street and Drummond Street in Hannah Town. Police investigations led to both the recovery of the firearm and the arrest of a man believed to be the shooter.

Kingston Central officers subsequently carried out an operation on King Street, where a second firearm was recovered. "We believe that this particular firearm was used by the gunmen in the first [Hannah Town] shooting," Phipps said.

In a separate incident, Kingston Eastern police fatally shot a man in the Pondside area of 8 Miles, Bull Bay, St Andrew, after he challenged officers during an ongoing operation. A pistol and a magazine loaded with eight cartridges were recovered at the scene.

The fourth firearm — a 9mm pistol along with four rounds of ammunition — was found during a search along Collie Smith Drive in Trench Town, West Kingston. No arrest was made in connection with that seizure.

Phipps said the operations reflected a deliberate shift in strategy. "It is clear that we are at a point where we will have to intensify our efforts across the divisions within Area Four, and we have embarked on that particular programme now," he said.

He added that further results are expected. "We have seen some results, and we are anticipating greater results even as we intensify our efforts right across all our divisions."

Source: Jamaica Observer