Police send warning to Tivoli

Saturday, March 05, 2011

TIVOLI Gardens, the volatile Kingston community where gunmen were involved in a standoff with the security forces that left more than 70 dead last year, has been warned to stop provoking the police.

The Police High Command, in a statement yesterday afternoon, said police personnel have been coming under attacks from residents of Tivoli, especially persons in high-rise buildings, who throw various missiles at them while on patrol in the area. "Only last night a police officer from the Mobile Reserve was injured while on duty in Tivoli Gardens; the policeman was hit several times in his chest with stones," the Police High Command said in its statement.

The police, while appealing to members of the constabulary who work or patrol in Tivoli Gardens and its environs to do so with extra care and vigilance, warned residents of Tivoli Gardens "who participate in what are clearly unprovoked and calculated attacks on the police and its assets to immediately desist".

"...The police have not responded to these unprovoked attacks with force, however, we will not shirk our responsibilities to our members and the law-abiding citizens of Tivoli Gardens. The High Command is urging the good people of Tivoli Gardens to assist by speaking to those who are misled and misguided to stop this assault on the police," the constabulary said.

It added that if the attacks continue the police would have no alternative but to respond appropriately.

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COMMENTS (26)

3/5/2011

It is regrettable that TG residents continue to suffer from the emotional damage of the onslaught by the security personnel in which 73 persons died. There is the need of a coroner and judicial inquiry into the deaths of each individual, and to an investigation into the performance of the security force in that infamous conflict. Also, there is a need for free grief counseling, for those who have lost relatives, and are still traumatized. The police, may want to keep a lower profile in patrols.

carlton wynter
3/5/2011

stanley buffett, empty barrel make the most noise. If people are throwing stones, they have to come out in the open to throw to get direct trajectory of the stone/object to the intended target/destination. I can hide behind anything and fire a bullet from a gun to hit a person. If I do the same thing with a stone the "herky-jerky" motion of my hand or your hand will not guarantee high success rate of that weapon reaching the intended target. Right? Ok, Stanley, you go and figure!

Noel Richards
3/5/2011

What did they expect after their actions over the years. One day the state perpetrators of heinous acts against the citizens of Jamaica will be made to answer for those actions. That includes those ordering the actions. The JCF, while being the only present option for Policing, along with the JDF, is a soulless enforcer for the privileged few in Jamaica. The JCF must be replaced with entirely new personnel with a completely different culture. No Jamaican is expendable.

Anthony C
3/5/2011

If we had woke up this morning hearing that pnp graffiti was on the walls in Tivoli Bruce would have left the nation business and reach Tivoli before sunrise,maybe the police must spray paint the walls with pnp graffiti so their voice can be heard and their rights protected.

mike delisser
3/5/2011

It is not right to condemn an entire community to demolition, especially without careful analysis. The problem is the entrenched tribal nature of political garrisons perfected in the Manley/Seaga era and the subsequent takeover of those areas by drug lords - Tivloi is a symptom of a depraved political structure. In demolishing Tivoli how many other garrisons will be left to perpetuate the power of other politicians and eventually explode when the politicians become subservient to the criminals?

Eagle Eyes
3/5/2011

@James Bond! Relocate these people? No sir. Their previous PREZI had created a GRAVE YARD in the vicinity, so create a COURT HOUSE along side and utilize the GRAVE YARD to rid the universe of THE unmanageable. I beleive that there are a lot of citizens in the Garden who are SINCERLY wishing for the eradication of the scum-bags from their community. The No1 problem however is getting pass the POLITICAL GARRISON mentally, which politicians are being hesitant in abolishing Fix that NOW PM. .

Chuck Emanuel
3/5/2011

@Steve Miller. You cannot eat your cake and have it . The Police did not create Narco-Terrorists, Gun-Runners, Extortionists, Contract Killers, Murderers, Kidnappers, Rapists and criminals. There were about 17,000 Jamaicans murdered the past 10 years by these people named above, even though we do not have a civil war, or are invaded by any other country. Therefore, those who should be receiving any "WARNING" are the Terrorists and those who aids and abets them (some politicians) .

Tall Ent.
3/5/2011

If individuals commit illegal actions the police have the right to take the appropriate action with making a statement before doing so. The police should defend themselves, and investigate and prosecute criminals.
So what then does this statement mean? Is this a warning that the police will take another form of action? Are they now too used to the assault and invasion method of policing in Tivoli to do anything different?

ESTEBAN AGOSTO REID
3/5/2011

Arrest all the culprits now !!! Tivolians are not above the law !!

Jakan 2011
3/5/2011

Maybe the Observer should publish a report alongside this one to let us hear from residents of TG as to what lif eis like for them under police patrols. It seems strange to me that now that they have no don to protect them they would welcome the police. Why then would they give the police such unwelcome greeting? Until then, I am going to agree with Steve Miller

Chuck Emanuel
3/5/2011

Any arguments about "its because they are poor and un-educated", or "the secret MOUs were the cause of this", will be rubished !.
In my view, the intent here is criminal and is carried out by the remnants of those who had run away and have now returned masquerading as law abiders. Simple undercover intelligence gathering should root-out and flush-out these scum-bags, and those who aids and abet them. The Rule of Law must prevail !

steven james
3/5/2011

Please do not "respond appropriately" until we see the evidence of the wounds these policemen have obtained during these patrols.

Steve Allen
3/5/2011

So if they don`t want the police to police them, who do they want to do that ?
Jamaica is Jamaica , our country is not divided into 2 States: Jamaica and the Republic of Tivoli Gardens.

stanley buffett
3/5/2011

Carlton wynter you should shut up you sound stupid, how can the police respond and they cant indentify the source, you are ready to condem the the police why dont you go out there and try what they are doing for a day,you would wet your pants,without the cops where do you think you would be today,

2kool .
3/5/2011

The guns have stopped barking in Tivoli so now we're back to sticks and stones.

Andrew Green
3/5/2011

All my life theres alwayse a problem with that community and the laws of jamaica,people this is not beirut, the jamaican government NEED to knock that entire comminity down and start over in that area and give it another name cause the name TIVOLI urks me to my stomach, the JAMAICAN people are exhausted with that community,if you go on any traveling website the list places not to go to in jamaica and TIVOLI is number one i am so embarrassed of that place.

carlton wynter
3/5/2011

Ridiculous! The police high command statement, "...The police have not responded to these unprovoked attacks with force" show their dimwit professional behavior. They should try to arrest the person(s) throwing the stones instead of let this fester to the point where they go down their, again and kill many people.
This way the people of Tivoli will realize that they are not exempt from the the law of Jamaica.

Arlie Gray
3/5/2011

The rule of law cannot stop at Spanish Town Road. The residents of Tivoli Gardens are so used to being a republic that they are clearly refusing to be police and governned like the rest of the country. They must be made to toe the line. Whatever happens they have brought it upon themselves.

Clara Brooks
3/5/2011

The residents are sending a message, they are without leadership in the form of the PM. Thats his constituency and since there is no Don to answer, they the citizens decided to take things into their own hands. For all their misery during these years, TG has always being under the control of a Don, they are a rudderless titanic, that needs iron fist rule, which they came to understand and knew. The police cannot be nice to people of volatile characteristics, they will always hate babylon, yep!

Shorna Watson
3/5/2011

The Prime Minister is silent on this matter now, but if the police should retaliate then he wants an investigation into the matter. Only in Jamaica can someone assault police officers so boldly and get away with it.

anton brown
3/5/2011

And then you'll hear them complain about how police wicked. This is rubbish! Tear down everything called garrison and relocate all those people into different areas across the island.

Steve Miller
3/5/2011

I think the people of Tivoli are sending a warning to the police. How many innocent people have been raped, killed and intimidated by Mr. Ellington's good ol boys in blue?

Trevor Harris
3/5/2011

How come the MP is so mum on this latest development.I am sure if the residents had reported slme untoward behavior by the Police you would have some response.These people are set in their ways.I only hope the police take decisive action and let the chips fall where they may.It's about time some sort of civility is brought to the society, people can't be allowed to flour the law because of their political affiliation.Tivoli has been a law unto themselves for far too long its now time too take a stand .

george watson
3/5/2011

It will take time for the residents of Tivoli to realize that they are citizens of Jamaica, subject to the Laws of the land like everybody else.
Something that has always bothered me since the fateful day. If the government is responsible for policy and the police for day to day actitvities, why would it have been necessary to get the OK from the PM to go into TG to serve the warrant on Dudus on that day?
Is this what they do when they need to serve a warrant on somebody in Flankers?i

James Bond
3/5/2011

I am not aware if the United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution declaring a no-fly zone over Tivoli. These lawless people are refusing to conform to law and order, attacking the security forces with rocks. Bloody joke! how much longer can the civil society tolerate these people encroaching of decent law abiding citizens way of life. This rebel community need to be reduced to rubble and the citizens tagged and monitored. Pressure groups need to lobby the gov to relocate these people

Aulie Sterling
3/5/2011

The Police High Command should seek assistance from the Honourable Bruce Golding in communicating the warning to his constituents. It is also a good time for Minister Nelson to show that he is on the side of law and order

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Police send warning to Tivoli