Almost 100 members of the West End community met with Government MPs and Police representatives to discuss policing following the recent rise in gun violence.

Public Safety Minister David Burch said that the meeting, organised by the PLP, was intended to help improve communications between the public, Government, and the Police.

"It's easier to talk to you in small groups then it is in sound bites," he said. "We have set out to engage and work with anyone who has a plan."

He said that following the upswell of violence, the working relationship between the Police and the Government is the best that he has seen in his tenure as Public Safety Minister.

"There is no disconnect at all," he said. "Michael Desilva, the new Commissioner of Police, he does not talk about 'I,' he talks about teams."

Superintendent Martin Weekes, the head of the Community Policing Division, said that many of the strategies that have recently been discussed are already in effect, including an increased Police presence on the streets.

"We have emptied out our offices, and we have put our officers in the neighbourhoods," he said.

"We're trying to get things changed, but we need your help."

He also said that the Police are looking into investing in wireless CCTV cameras that could be moved to various criminal hot spots.

He said Police have identified 46 hot spots throughout the Island, 13 of which are in the West End.

"There are some funding issues and there are some technological issues, but we're looking into it for the hot spots we have identified," he said.

In the meanwhile, he said that regular patrols for the hot spots are already in place, and that the Police is working with the community to make the areas less attractive for criminals.

Crime Stoppers chairman John Drew also spoke out at the meeting, stressing that the service is completely anonymous.

While the service does offer rewards for tips, he said that the majority of people who contact the service are not doing it for the money.

"Most people don't want the reward," he said. "They want to get the information off their chest and out of their minds."