TEN of the islands most wanted have been arrested over the last several days in what police said is a drive to intensify joint police/military operations in hotspots across the islands.

Winchroy Budhoo, superintendent in charge of operations at the Mobile Reserve, said the main aim of the latest drive which has police targeting all parishes was to bring the fight to the criminal elements who were trying to keep one step ahead of the authorities.

"Since [last] Monday over 10 wanted men have been held in a series of operations across the island," Budhoo said.

The superintendent said many of the men were held outside of the areas where they had committed their crimes. Several illegal guns have also been seized in the operations that will run for the rest of the year.

"We will not ease up the pressure in this drive," Budhoo warned, while on an operation in the St Catherine South Police Division last week.

Days earlier the police team carried out an operation in St Catherine North Police Division where gunmen shot eight persons, four fatally, in Spanish Town in an alleged rival attack between gangs in the area.

The joint police/military team have also visited sections of St James and Clarendon.

Between January to October this year, a total of 1,189 murders were reported across the island compared to 1,378 over the corresponding period last year, according to police statistics.

Police have been on high alert since the release of those statistics as a number of shootings have threatened to end the streak of four consecutive months of declining murders.