Trinidad and Tobago declared a state of emergency on Monday in response to a sharp rise in gang-related murders, granting police increased powers to conduct searches and arrests without warrants for the next two days.
Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s office issued a statement highlighting the recommendation from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to address heightened criminal activity endangering public safety.
Attorney General Stuart Young revealed that 61 murders were recorded in December alone, pushing the total for 2024 to 623. This marks a steady increase compared to 577 homicides in 2023 and 599 in 2022.
While the state of emergency declaration does not impose a curfew or restrict movement to avoid economic disruption, police powers to detain and search individuals may be extended for up to seven days with judicial approval.
At a press conference in Port of Spain, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds described the surge in violent murders as an epidemic, with 551 shootings reported as of December 26.
Recent violent incidents include a fatal shooting of a man leaving a police station in Port of Spain on Saturday and a Sunday attack in Laventille, Trinidad, that claimed five lives.
This is the first state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago since 2011, which was similarly declared to combat violent crime but limited to high-crime areas.
