An ominous cloud is now looming over the sanctity of Jamaica’s security forces, following persistent death threats against its members.

After warning members of the security forces to be on the lookout for attacks against them by criminal elements, the Police Commissioner, Owen Ellington, announced that there was a “high threat level” against the Island’s Security Forces.

The Police Commissioner has reiterated his warning and has now raised the threat level against its members to its highest possible level: Extreme.

The upgrading of the Threat Level comes as a result of the insistence of the police High Command that attacks against members of the Island’s Police Force is not just anticipated, but imminent.

Since the eruption of anarchy, which resulted from the Jamaican security force’s arrest and extradition of Mr. Christopher Coke, alias “Dudus” in June 2010, the Police Commissioner has been persistently warning members of the police and military forces of criminal plots against them.

The Deputy Police Commissioner, Mr. Glenmore Hinds, reinforced the call for the members to be alert.

The Deputy Commissioner said: “There is no doubt that the security of our members in two St. Catherine south divisions and Clarendon is at risk.

“This increase in the number of threats and the increased ferocity of the threats to all ranks of the organisation comes as a direct result of the successes the security forces have been achieving against criminal gangs.”

The Jamaican police military operations were hailed as heroic, after they were said to have successfully penetrated a wall of gunfire, allegedly staged by criminal elements, which were said to have been fiercely defending the area leader, Christopher Coke.  Two Jamaica Constabulary Force, JCF, and one Jamaica defense Force, JDF, soldiers were said killed in the gun battle.

A report in the Jamaican press suggests that as many as 73 civilians were also killed during the West Kingston upheaval.

Subsequent to the issuing of the arrest warrant for the area leader, Mr Ellington gave a stern warning to his men about their personal protection on and off the job.

The Commissioner indicated that the arrest of Coke would inevitably attract reprisals for which the force should be ready.

Jamaica’s Security Minister, in response to the West Kingston gun feud, said: “We are going to hunt them [gunmen] down in the way they ought to be hunted down, and bring the full brunt of the law on them.”

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, declared a State Of Emergency to allow the security forces to launch an intense search for the area leader in his “stronghold.”