WESTERN BUREAU:
THE NEWLY-FORMED St. James Police 'Special Unit', which started operating in Montego Bay last Thursday, got its first taste of success on Friday afternoon when members recovered a Mack-11 submachine gun along Sun Valley Road in Glendevon.
The weapon was allegedly found in a shop operated by 42-year-old Barrington 'Barry' Campbell, shortly after 4:30 p.m. Campbell, who resides on the premises, where his business is located, was subsequently arrested and charged with the illegal possession of a firearm.
"We are extremely happy... this is the kind of result we are hoping for," said Senior Superintendent John Morris, who was instrumental in the formation of the unit, whose mandate is to neutralise criminals in the problem-plagued areas of the parish.
"We will not be easing up as we intend to take away the space occupied by the gunmen in this parish," he said.
SSP Morris said the unit also apprehended a man who had escaped from the Tamarind Farm Prison in St. Catherine last July, during a pre-dawn operation in Mocho, St. James. The man, identified as Desmond Anthony Gary of a Flankers address, was serving a nine-month prison term for larceny at the time of his escape.
The special unit is made up of 21 crime-fighters drawn from across the island. All of them have previously served in St. James and were hand-picked because of their knowledge of the problem-plagued communities and the criminals operating from these areas.
