For more than five years, warring factions were at each other’s throats in the troubled community of Arnett Gardens, Kingston resulting in over 100 deaths.

But over the past nine months, the guns have gone silent and a tense peace has reigned after the community came under special scrutiny by the police high command and was dubbed a ‘hot spot’. The result was that the police increased their presence in Arnett Gardens and surrounding communities and adopted a community policing approach.

Buoyed by the positive approach of the cops and the peace which ensued, the Catholic Church has now come on board.

Yesterday, church members, the police and residents of Torrington Park, Havanna and Top Jungle, three communities that have been perennial rivals, met at a playing field opposite the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex. The meeting was called by the Catholic community to announce the upcoming cleaning of the Calvary Cemetery, the largest Catholic burying ground in the island.

According to Archbishop of Kingston Lawrence Burke, residents of the three communities which border the cemetery will be employed to clear the burying ground, which is overgrown with bushes.

“The cemetery is in the middle of the community and it doesn’t make sense for us to bring in workers from the outside when these people obviously need work,” Archbishop Burke, told the Sunday Observer.

According to Burke, the clearing of the Calvary Cemetery is expected to cost the Catholic community about $1.5 million.

Deputy commissioner of police in charge of crime, Mark Shields was encouraged by the church initiative and pledged police support when the work gets underway.

“We have assured the church and the people that there will be adequate police presence to provide security so the people can feel comfortable working,” DCP Shields said.

He was also pleased that the police initiative seemed to be bearing fruit. “Nine months ago you would never have people from these three communities walking together, so all of this is very heartening to see,” he said.

The clearing of the cemetery is expected to begin in two weeks.