Thugs in some Corporate Area communities are searching the cellphones of residents to prevent them from passing on information to the police.

Police sources said they are aware of the situation and are concerned about the practice.

Fearful residents of Barnes Avenue, Rafel Avenue and Ramsey Road, communities of Maxfield Avenue, St Andrew, claim that members of the 'Stinger' gang have made it their regular duty to check the phones of residents for police contacts.

Anyone found to be in contact with the police are ordered to leave the community or suffer the consequences. In several cases, persons have been chased from their homes because of the discovery of police numbers in residents' phones.

"Dis phone searching thing start after di gang leader get shot. Him an police have shoot-out and dem shot him inna him foot. From dat dem have it seh a people from 'bout ya did a inform pon him movements," one resident of Ramsey Road who strongly requested anonymity explained.

"Di man dem a go hard. At one point it was just a one off thing now dem a do it regular," another resident added.

Head of the Kingston West Division, Deputy Superintendent Arthur Brown, could not be reached for comment, but other police sources admitted that they were aware of the occurrence.

"A di Stingers man dem thing dat, a so dem gwaan. Wi deh pon dem trail still eno is jus a matter of time. Long run short ketch dem say," a corporal said when THE STAR visited the Denham Town Police Station recently.

Residents of Lakes Pen in St Catherine also said that they are facing a similar situation as thugs have attempted to rid the community of persons they dub informers'.

One resident went as far as writing a two-page letter to THE STAR two weeks ago, outlining her fears.

At the beginning of the letter she wrote, "Residents of the Lakes Pen community are crying for help, they are all living in fear ..."

She later continued: "If we ever walk pass the police station they call you informer. Handbags have been taken away and phones to check if you are the ones calling the police. We need our community back ..."

One other resident, Minnie, told THE STAR that she was labelled as an informer by thugs from the community because she had an affair with a policeman.

She said her cellphone was checked on several occasions and she eventually left the community as the threats were becoming more and more frequent.

When the St Catherine North police was contacted yesterday, a detective corporal said they had heard of the situation. He, however, said that affected residents should make a formal report so initiatives can be devised.

*NAME CHANGED.