Armed Police descended on a Hamilton property yesterday, temporarily closing off a section of Court Street and neighbouring roads in an unprecedented show of force in the city streets.

The raid, shortly before 1.30pm, in which Police bearing a search warrant detained three men from an Elliott Street premises, was aimed at a “person of interest” who was not arrested.

Speaking afterwards with The Royal Gazette, Police Inspector Robert Cardwell urged the wanted man to give himself up.

“While we did not find the subject here today, he knows we are looking for him, and so do his associates,” Insp Cardwell said. “It is in his best interests to turn himself in at a police station very soon.”

Acting on intelligence received, Police could be seen swarming a residence on the north side of Elliott Street. Insp Cardwell said the deployment of armed officers had been as a result of a risk assessment.

Court Street was temporarily closed off from Dundonald Street to Angle Street, and firearms officers took up positions in nearby roads while others moved swiftly into properties nearby.

The highly public Police sting drew many onlookers from nearby, but took little more than an hour to complete.

Asked if it had been a firearms investigation, Insp Cardwell said it was too early to divulge specifics.