PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago — In response to a surge of violent incidents linked to gang activities, Trinidad and Tobago has declared a nationwide state of emergency as of Monday.
This announcement follows a weekend filled with gang-related violence that resulted in several fatalities, including five men believed to have been killed in retaliatory shootings.
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds addressed the media, expressing clear concern over the situation. “There is no doubt in my mind that we are dealing with an epidemic,” he stated.
Despite the state of emergency, officials did not impose a curfew; however, residents should anticipate a stronger presence of police and military personnel patrolling the streets.
Law enforcement agencies now possess the authority to perform searches, detain individuals for up to 48 hours, and make arrests without needing a warrant. Ordinary operations, including schools, businesses, and forthcoming New Year’s festivities, are planned to proceed normally.
Acting Attorney General Stuart Young noted the growing apprehension surrounding the intensifying violence, particularly pertaining to the daring and reckless behaviors exhibited by gangs wielding illegal firearms. “The criminal gangs, through the use of high-powered assault weapons and other unlawful firearms in parts of Trinidad and possibly Tobago, are likely to escalate their violent reprisals to such a degree that it jeopardizes individuals and endangers public safety,” he warned.
This small island nation has reached an alarming total of 623 homicides this year alone, with gang-related violence responsible for 263 of those deaths.
Trinidad and Tobago has a history of implementing states of emergency; for instance, in 2021, the government under Prime Minister Keith Rowley declared one to control movement and prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Similarly, a decade earlier, former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar enforced a limited state of emergency and curfew in regions identified as crime “hotspots.”
