Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher says gangs are becoming desperate as police continue to make inroads in the fight against crime.

She made the comment at a media briefing on Sunday night to address what she described as a 'challenging weekend' with 14 murders recorded across the country.

Harewood-Christopher noted half of the murders were gang related.

'It would seem that the more we succeed in disrupting and dismantling the criminal gangs, the more desperate they are becoming and even more brazen they are behaving.'

Deputy commissioner of police responsible for operations, Junior Benjamin, said police intended to face the situation head on.

'We want to say it will be some in-your-face policing. Therefore, we are asking the public to really work with us if at times they might be inconvenienced. Understand that we are taking a no-nonsense approach to this situation.'

Benjamin said stations were on high alert with increased police presence and quick response times.

'We have ensured that we have more and more patrols outside there and I want to assure you that at this time, we have ensured that there continues to be a constant presence of the police. We would ensure at the same time, that we seek to deal with all matters that come to the station in a very quick and professional manner.'

He said the approach had already borne fruit over the past few days with the seizure of ten guns, $2 million worth of marijuana and the arrest of one person in connection with one of the double murders in Port of Spain this weekend. Benjamin did not specify which Port of Spain double murder he was referring to.

On July 12, Hasani Bonas, 29, and Jaheim Charlo, 19, were gunned down at Agostini Street, Gonzales around 4 pm. Later, at 8.45 pm Jemerc Fontrose Marc, 20, and Kerwin McLeod, 44 were killed by gunmen at Mango Rose, Laventille.

On July 14, asked how the public could be impacted by the 'in-your-face' policing strategy, Harewood-Christopher said, 'We have different communities require different policing strategies. In some communities, we may see a bit more aggressive policing than in some communities.'

The commissioner denied, though, police had lost control of the crime situation.

'We have not lost a handle (on crime). Crime continues to be diverse and we continue to adjust our strategies.'

With three double murders and one triple murder among the 14 deaths, Harewood-Christopher also pointed to what she described as a 'disturbing trend.'

'We have also realised the very disturbing trend of multiple homicides where we see double, triple, quadruple and even principal murders.

'The police is doing what it needs to be done and we will continue to do so until we win this battle. We are in it for the long haul. We are determined to succeed and we will not stop until that mission is accomplished.'

She said police were using all the resources at its disposal to address the crime levels in the country.

'All the necessary resources are fully mobilised to combat violent crime. Our investigator