A new Tivoli order

A Jamaican flag raised at the top of a high-rise building was the signal from the security forces that they had taken control of the west Kingston enclave of Tivoli Gardens last May.

For years, any operation by the security forces into Tivoli Gardens had to be well organised with sufficient force. Many ended in bloodshed.

Today, two policewomen walk the streets of Tivoli Gardens with their guns tucked in their holsters.

On the other side of the community, three soldiers walk at ease even though alert.

This was unthinkable one year ago.

For years, many Jamaicans saw Tivoli Gardens as a "state within a state".

The community had developed its own rules, including an internal security and justice system, which many residents still say worked well.

"When 'Dudus' did deh yah, yuh could sleep with yuh door open and no robbing or rape couldn't gwaan," is the regular comment from residents who wish for a return of 'the good old days'.

Today, there is no 'don' for residents to look to for justice. Instead, the community is being normalised and policed the same as anywhere else in Jamaica.

For the police, even if nothing else was achieved last May, the fact that Tivoli Gardens has returned to being "a part of Jamaica" is a major gain.