MONTEGO BAY, St James Commanding officer for the St James Police Division Superintendent Merrick Watson has credited community policing in the Flankers community for the handing over of two firearms by residents of the area to the police.

"What we are seeing here is the initial fruit of the hard work that we are putting in," Superintendent Watson told reporters yesterday at a press briefing at the Montego Bay Freeport Police station.

The weapons a .357 magnum revolver and an intratec submachine gun with four rounds of ammunition Watson said, were handed over to him. He declined, however, to say when they were received.

The community has had a history of violence and *la*hdletting and has been the scene of many protests by the residents.

But Watson said that since the introduction of community policing this year the residents have pledged to make the community peaceful.

"They have decided that enough is enough. They are tired of the fighting. They are tired of going to their beds at nights and wondering if people are going to come and kick in their doors, so they have decided that they are going to give community policing a chance," he explained.

He added that the handing over of the two guns was a clear signal that the residents have decided to work with the police, in an effort to make the community crime free.

The commanding officer, however, made it clear that the police would not rest on their laurels and would continue operations in the area.

"We know that this is a drop in the bucket (the handing over of the two guns) and that there are more guns out there and so we are still going to do our searches and raids as we continue to engage the residents," he observed.