The men were charged for several offences, including possession of offensive weapons, extortion, the interception and obstruction of passengers, and in the case of the conductors, failure to wear their proper uniforms.

The men, except for those found with offensive weapons, were each fined $3,000.

Those found with weapons are booked to appear before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court next week, Lewis said.

"The instruction is that if these men are caught doing the same things 30 times for the day, then we should arrest them on each occasion. That is how the traffic department intends on smashing their operations," Radcliffe explained.

The superintendent said the police will also be clamping down on conductors who violate body protrusion regulations.

The Police believe Monday's shooting stemmed from the bus operator's refusal to yield to the demands of extortionists in Half-Way-Tree.

Yesterday, Deputy Superintendent Michael Phipps -- one of the commanders of the St Andrew Central Division -- said the police were investigating several leads into the incident.

He listed the students' conditions as stable.

"No one has been arrested as yet though, but we are investigating several theories as we speak," he said.