Gunmen last night attacked the Spanish Town Police Station and shot at mobile patrols during a power outage that covered a wide area of St Catherine. "They used the cover of darkness to shoot up the station," a police spokesman told the Observer. "But as soon as the power returned they ran."

Last night, the police high command described the attacks as "vicious and unprovoked" and said they indicated "the viciousness and the extraordinary lengths to which criminals from the Clansman gang will go in order to perpetuate their criminal way of life".

The violent Clansman gang lost three members to police bullets last weekend.

Last night, the police high command said that despite the unwarranted attacks, the resolve of the constabulary remains strong.

"The police will not cower in the face of these attacks and will respond appropriately and professionally," the high command said and praised "the bravery and the commitment of members who came under sustained gunfire ... and who were able to repel the criminals".