Police from the Area Five Division are concerned about what they describe as a "new level of criminality" that seems to be emerging in the area.

Crime officer for the division, Superintendent Wrenford Gayle, told THE STAR that the police were especially disturbed by the recent robbery and shoot-out that occurred at the Red Hills Road branch of KFC last week.

According to police reports, three armed men invaded the restaurant on September 29, robbed a customer and the establishment of more than $300,000 and allegedly engaged the response team in a shoot-out.

During the incident, one of the robbers, who is still unidentified, was shot dead. A Pietro Beretta 9 mm pistol containing six 9mm rounds and two other magazines containing 20 rounds were reportedly found in his possession. One stick of dynamite with a blasting cap was also allegedly found on his person.

domestic terrorism

Superintendent Gayle told THE STAR that the discovery was frightening. He said, "This seems to be a new level of criminality. One man with four magazines with 29 rounds and a stick of dynamite. This tells us that we are fighting a war. It's domestic terrorism. We need to look at what kind of tactical approach to take with reports of this nature to ensure the safety of our members."

He added that they have never seen dynamite in a case of robbery before and said "This is taking it to a new dimension. In case they are under attack, they probably use it to escape. That can cause a lot of damage to people and property". He said the stick was taken to the lab to determine its level of effectiveness.

He admitted that the division, especially the Havendale, Constant Spring and Meadowbrook areas, has been plagued with robberies, but said the numbers have been trending downwards.

He, however, said there were plans afoot to tackle the problems and to curb the lawlessness that seems to be taking over the division.