The entire capital is now blanketed under SOEs as the Government moved to include Kingston Western and Central, pushing to 10 the total number of police divisions under emergency powers.

“We have noticed increasing alliances between gangs across community, geographic borders, and even political boundaries, which signals a level of cooperation between the gangs as they struggle over spoils whether extortion, imported weapons, or other criminal activities,” Chang said yesterday during a Jamaica House briefing.

“We are seeing a much more coordinated attempt by criminal enterprises across Kingston and St Andrew to coordinate their activities and create a much more unified response to how they make their illegal gains from these commercial areas,” Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson said as he presented data for St James and East Kingston as evidence that the SOEs were working.

To the west, the boundary extends from the coastline by the Petrojam oil refinery in the northeastern direction on to East Avenue, then on to Maxfield Avenue to the intersection of Russell Road.

The northern boundary extends along Russell Road in an easterly direction from the intersection of Maxfield Avenue and Russell Road to its intersection with Lyndhurst Road and Retirement Road.