Overview:
Since the start of the year, the Haitian National Police have stepped up anti-gang operations across Port-au-Prince and other regions, seizing at least 33 firearms, more than 12,000 rounds of ammunition, bulletproof vests, police uniforms and a surveillance drone. Police say several gang members were arrested or killed during exchanges of gunfire.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian National Police (PNH) say anti-gang operations launched since the start of the year have led to the seizure of 33 firearms and more than 12,000 rounds of ammunition in multiple operations in Port-au-Prince and nearby regions, as authorities push to regain control of neighborhoods long dominated by armed groups.
Police officials reported that several gang members were arrested, while others were killed during exchanges of gunfire with specialized units.
At a press conference on Jan. 12, held at the PNH headquarters in Clercine, deputy spokesperson Michel-Ange Louis-Jeune said these operations are part of a broader effort to reopen areas that gangs have turned into no-go zones. Seized equipment and weapons were presented during the conference.
“We are seeing that criminal incursions into neighborhoods have significantly decreased, which is a direct result of these operations,” said Louis-Jeune. “At the same time, police advances have intensified across all areas of the capital.”
Police activity has intensified in Bel-Air, downtown Port-au-Prince, Wharf Jérémie, Bas-Delmas, La Saline, Kenscoff, as well as in the Artibonite and Centre departments.
In Bel-Air, between Jan. 5 and 6, police seized four bulletproof vests, four M14 rifle magazines, PNH uniforms, two M14 rifles, three shotguns and a container of 5.56-caliber ammunition. Police also recovered a bulletproof vest marked “La Presse.”
Nearby, close to the National Palace in Champs-de-Mars, officers confiscated two M16 rifles, a modified Kalashnikov rifle, more than 4,900 rounds of 5.56 and 7.62 ammunition, another bulletproof vest marked “Police,” and a drone, according to police.
“The police intend to continue on the same path because it is already showing results, and we must deliver results. The population needs to resume its daily activities.”
Michel-Ange Louis Jeune, police’s deputy spokesperson
Authorities said gang members have increasingly used police uniforms and press vests to mislead residents and law enforcement during attacks.
The renewed police push comes as gang violence continues to upend daily life in Haiti. According to humanitarian estimates, more than 1.4 million people have been displaced, nearly 6 million face food insecurity, and hundreds of schools and more than 30 hospitals have been forced to close.
Police operations will continue
Police operations continued on Jan. 12 in Bel-Air, Ruelle Félix, and Corridor Bastia, with officials saying tactics are adjusted daily in response to gang movements.
Louis-Jeune said the police have strengthened their capacity with armored vehicles, protective vests, and surveillance drones. They have implemented a psychological preparedness program for officers facing unprecedented and prolonged violence.
In the Artibonite region, where the population has lived in apparent calm recently, police leadership warned that new operations are being prepared.
The National Haitian Police Union (SYNAPOHA), the police union, welcomed the current approach, criticizing past strategies that mainly focused on defense rather than pushing gangs back. In a statement, the union calls for more resources and sustained support to allow officers to achieve better results.
“The police intend to continue on the same path because it is already showing results, and we must deliver results,” said Louis-Jeune. “The population needs to resume its daily activities.”
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