The Commissioner of Police has hailed the coming together of communities as a major factor in the recent lull in gang violence.

Michael DeSilva said he was pleased with the drop in gang-related crime and tit-for-tat shootings this year, but he insisted officers remained on their guard and were not taking anything for granted.

“Unfortunately, because of my experience over the last six years I have to remember we are just one chain snatch away from the next shooting,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“That is how it all started in 2009 — with street-level robberies and violence that caused the worst spike in gang violence in our history.

“The reason I say that is that we have to remain focused and there is still more work to do.

“Even though this has seen the lowest levels of gang and gun crime, if we do not continue to tackle it, it will fester and come back again.

“This is not the time to take our foot off the accelerator. When we have a quiet spell it is a golden opportunity to work on the long-term objectives in the community.”

Mr DeSilva praised the work of neighbourhood watch groups in tackling security issues.

He also pointed to a recent case where police had been able to bring a prolific burglar to justice swiftly thanks to the help of residents from the affected neighbourhoods.

The commissioner said: “We are very appreciative that we have had a relatively quiet year so far when it comes to gangs and guns in comparison to previous years.

“Although it has been extremely sad that we have still had two murders this year, which are both tragedies in of themselves.

“The silver lining to be found in all of this is the community’s galvanisation, which seems to be continuing on different fronts.

“There are lots of examples of neighbourhood level activity; neighbourhood watch groups are getting actively involved in the security of their own area.

“Just recently we had a string of burglaries in one area and conducted a very targeted operation. With the community’s help we were able to arrest the offender, who has since pleaded guilty to 18 separate burglaries.

“Street Safe continues to make a big difference in the community, with social workers and others reaching into the hearts of gangs and gang members clearly having an influence.”