National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang is not ruling out an extension of the curfew in the market district in Spanish Town which was the scene of a deadly shootout involving gangsters on Tuesday.
The 48-hour curfew expires at 6 o'clock this evening.
Dr. Chang has signalled that he is prepared to grant an extension "if the leadership of the force requires it".
The curfew, he said, is meant to "put some calm in the situation, restore some stability and then give the security forces some space to investigate and find all the miscreants out there".
Dr. Chang was speaking with members of the media during a visit to the Spanish Town market district non Wednesday.
The police and army continue to maintain a strong presence in the area.
Outsiders
Olivia Grange, Member of Parliament for St. Catherine Central, has said the flare up in violence in sections of Spanish Town has been linked to persons from another constituency.
Railway Lane and other crime hot spots are situated in Miss Grange's constituency.
But according to the MP, the upsurge started after individuals from an adjoining constituency relocated to St. Catherine Central.
"That is why, in the first place, a section of the constituency was attacked, and once that happens, then the situation gets tense," she said, adding that she has been "working closely with the police...to ensure that there is no reprisal, that the situation does not continue".