Thirteen Police Officers hit several crime hot spots around the Island over the weekend, apart of Operation Safer Streets which netted an arrest and the recovery of a dangerous weapon.

Since the launch of Operation Safer Streets in January, six bladed items have been confiscated. Officers have also made 29 drugs seizures. This includes 506 cannabis plants, 207 grams of the drug, 6.6 grams of crack cocaine and 1.73 grams of heroin.

A Royal Gazette photographer accompanied the officers during this weekend's operation, which started at 10.45 p.m. on Saturday and finished at 4 a.m. on Sunday.

The team consisted of one Inspector, one Sergeant, four Constables, one K9 handler and dog, one Reserve Inspector and five Reserve Constables - the team was lead by Inspector Mark Clarke.

Officers started in Pembroke before moving to Sandys parish and back again and attended reported disturbances in the White Hill and Boaz Island, Sandys parish areas, recovering a bladed article in the Cricket Lane, Sandys parish area.

And at one point, they arrested a driver on suspicion of driving whilst impaired.

Royal Gazette photographer Glenn Tucker spoke about how it felt to accompany the Police during such an important occasion: "We did the escort to show members of the public that The Royal Gazette is truly community-oriented. "We also wanted to show our support to the Police and to their 'Operation Safer Streets' and to show that not just the Police, but the Reserves too, are out there doing their job."

Mr. Tucker gave some of the 'play-by-play' on the Police activity he witnessed: "One arrest that I remember seeing... Police received a call from a woman alleging a man was stalking her.

"At the scene in Hamilton, the gentleman, when approached by the Police, decided to run and officers had to chase him through Par-La-Ville Park - Police later apprehended him and arrested him.

"While we were heading back to Hamilton from the Somerset area, we were called to the Ord Road, Paget area for a report of a fight that had broken out - there was reportedly a firearm involved. But eventually, no firearm was recovered, after that, we headed to the City."

Mr. Tucker described the actions of the officers involved in the operation as being "on point" and conducted in a professional manner at all times.

"With the limited manpower that they (Police) had, they were still able to maintain their street presence because of the patterns of their sweeps... it was a good night," he added.

Asked if at any time while patrolling with the officers did he feel concerned for his safety, he recalled at one point in the night when he became consumed with trepidation.

"Afraid? At one point I was a little bit scared - that's when we attended a fight on Front Street... because the crowd there was pretty intense.

"It was a crowd of about 50 or so people and even though there was a Police presence, the people that were trying to fight each other were still fighting while Police were there ¿ it was intense."

Asked how suspects reacted when they saw him taking their photos, he put it this way: "No body really likes to have their photograph taken while being searched by the Police.

"But the reactions I got were typical... people asked me 'why are you taking my photo?' but I did this not just for the newspaper, but for the community as a whole, to see that the Police are doing their job."