ST JAMES, James — Several sections of the crime-infested parish of St James are now saturated with members of the Jamaica Defence Force, as they search properties and people in what is said to be a limited state of emergency in the parish.

Among the affected areas are King Street, Cottage Road, Rose Heights, Cambridge, Norwood and the Trelawny–St James border.

The operation is said to be the Government's response to the marked increase in murders and shootings in St James.

Last year, some 335 murders were recorded in St James and at least four people have been murdered in that western parish since the start of the year.

There have also been several reports of shootings in the parish.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned that Government is now prepared to take “firm and resolute measures” to deal with Jamaica's “crime monster.”

Mark Cummings