Police and military are keeping a close watch on sections of Mountain View following a flare-up of violence on Christmas Day which left two persons with bullet wounds.
Rival gunmen from Jacques Road and neighbouring Goodwich Lane traded bullets, triggering widespread fear among residents.
A man and a woman were shot.
Members of the military were deployed to the area on Monday night.
Julian Robinson, Member of Parliament for the constituency, has blamed the violence on a small group of men in the affected communities.
He has expressed fear that there could be more violence over the holiday period, characterizing it as “the worst kind of situation to have over the holidays.”
“It creates major disruptions because it’s on the Mountain View belt and generally when these shootings take place, they take place on the main road, which means that a lot of innocent bystanders can be affected,” he told RJR News.
He said efforts will be “redoubled” to bring the situation under control, in part by reaching out to persons of influence in the affected communities.
Several persons have been killed in the violence which started three weeks ago over control of a construction site in the area.
Sickout
The latest outbreak of violence coincides with a widespread sickout being staged by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
The police have been engaged in mass sick out since Saturday to protest against the government’s sick per cent wage offer over two years.
This has affected police operations across the island.
There are reports that more cops called in sick on Christmas Day.
Data obtained by RJR News revealed that nearly 3000 members of the Police Federation, or 30 per cent of the police force, are now on sick out.
Members of the military, district constables, police cadets and Justices of the Peace have been deployed to help manage the crisis.
The Police Federation is insisting that it wants the Prime Minister to intervene in the wage dispute
However, there has been no response from Jamaica House to the request.