Police have spent more than 1,200 man hours targeting crime hotspots since a crackdown was launched on January 5.

The Operation Safer Streets team has mounted high-visibility operations involving dozens of officers travelling in convoys.

Anyone acting suspiciously has been stopped and searched, with vehicles also subjected to random checks. The team is backed up by dog handlers and a 24-hour roster of armed officers who can be called upon if necessary.

Almost 200 people have been arrested so far, and head of the operation Chief Inspector Nicholas Pedro is pleased with how things are going.

"We're making some really good inroads. The biggest we've seen is in the hotspots, which is a plus for the community. They're noticeably quieter. These are locations where people are known to sell drugs in public or on the street, or where acts of violence occur.

"In all these areas across the Island — and there are lots of them — there's been a dramatic reduction in illicit activity," he said.

The 1,200-plus man hours spent keeping watch in these areas have resulted in positive feedback from residents who were suffering, according to him.

"Believe it or not, I get a lot of people who don't necessarily want to leave their name but they tell us that things are noticeably quieter in the areas and they're happy with our activity."

Operation Safer Streets was mounted in a bid to restore public confidence after three shootings over the Christmas period left one man dead and two injured. According to statistics released yesterday, key achievements so far include:

• 47 arrests for suspected drug offences

• 37 people detained while allegedly committing crimes such as impaired driving

• 77 wanted persons arrested on warrants

• 12 arrests for offences such as burglary and assault

In addition, 128 people and 14 residences have been searched for drugs. On 43 occasions drugs have been seized without a suspect being present.

Nine bladed articles have been confiscated by the Police, five searches for firearms have been carried out, and one firearm has been seized.

According to Chief Inspector Pedro, that related to an incident where an imitation firearm was allegedly used to threaten someone on Front Street over the Easter holiday weekend.

He said that some of the arrests made over the past three months have been of "major" criminal targets for the Police — with the overall operation now heading in a slightly different direction.

"We're at the level now where we're really trying to refocus our efforts to look at locations not immediately apparent, using intelligence to weed out people dealing (drugs) from their residences," he explained.

• Contact Operation Safer Streets via the main Police number on 295-0011 or call the confidential Crime Stoppers hotline on 1-800-623-8477.