Nagra Plunkett, Staff Reporter

The bullet-riddled police radio car which was sprayed by gunmen in Salt Spring, St. James, early yesterday morning. - Photo by Noel Thompson

WESTERN BUREAU:

Up to late yesterday, one police constable remained hospitalised in critical condition, following an early-morning shooting in Salt Spring, St. James.

Two other police constables were treated for gunshot wounds at hospital and released.

The constables - all attached to the St. James Police Division - were fired on by heavily-armed men while patrolling the volatile community of Salt Spring.

The Police High Command condemned the attack as brutal, vowing that it will not be deterred in its crime-fighting efforts in St. James.

Public support needed

"We will relentlessly pursue these cowards to bring them to justice, but our jobs can be much easier if we get public support," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Charles Scarlett.

He later told The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre yesterday that the police had received vital information regarding the shooting which would influence their pursuit of the attackers.

It is reported that about 2:30 a.m., the constables were fired on by men hiding behind a wall in a section of Salt Spring known as 'SS Corner'. During an ensuing gun battle, the constables reportedly had to flee their service vehicle, which subsequently crashed into two other parked vehicles.

A large quantity of M-16, .45 and 9mm spent shells were recovered from the scene.

At least 20 bullet holes were seen on the car.

The interior and the right rear door were plastered with blood.

Worrying crime situation

It is reported that the 9mm pistol belonging to one of the constables was shot from his hand. Up to late yesterday, it had not been found.

The incident comes days after National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips announced several new strategies to tackle St. James' worrying crime situation.

Since the start of the year, 167 persons have been killed in St. James - 28 more than the figure recorded last year.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has called for the community to support the police.

"We have to deal with the crime and violence now taking place here in Montego Bay," she told guests at a fund-raising reception in her honour at Bellefield Great House in Granville, St. James, on Saturday night.

"We can get assistance from overseas, but the solution to our problems in this country resides in all of us Jamaicans."