western bureau

The St. James police has intensified its efforts to contain the escalating crime situation in Granville police area, following the murder of a 31-year-old shopkeeper by gunmen on Sunday night.

"We are paying close attention there and is considering it as a spot we need to watch," said Deputy Superintendent Clinton Laing, who is attached to the Area One Crime Management Unit.

Sunday's victim has been identified as Lloyd 'Steve' Perkins of Tucker district in St. James. He is the fourth person that has been killed in the area over the last three weeks.

Police reports are that Perkins and a female companion drove to his home about 10 p.m. They were walking towards the house when a gunman confronted them.

It is said that Perkins was shot six times, while his companion escaped unharmed.

Rise in armed roberies

The area has seen a dramatic rise in armed robberies and sexual assaults particularly in the Tucker and Fairfield, Irwin neighbourhoods.

Investigators have fingered a criminal grouping, known as the Kerchief gang, operating in the Granville police area, as being responsible for the crime wave.

"One of our priorities now is to identify and apprehend the major players of the group," added DSP Laing.

In July, the St. James police placed bounties on the heads of the ten notorious gangsters in the parish, resulting from the bloodletting in Norwood. This led to the successful capture and in instances surrender of the men, predominantly members of the Stone Crusher gang, to the authorities.

With their improved operational and intelligence-gathering mechanisms, along with an injection of manpower from the military and Special Anti-Crime Task Force, calm has been restored to that inner-city community in the past two months.