Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency following a weekend of violence that pushed the nation’s murder toll for 2024 to 623.
Police report that nearly half of these killings are gang-related, with the majority linked to organised crime.
The most recent violence included five men shot overnight in an estate on the outskirts of the capital, Port of Spain.
Earlier in the week, a man was killed outside a police station on Saturday, and a 57-year-old woman was fatally shot while picking up her teenage son from the hospital in San Fernando on Friday.
With a population of approximately 1.5 million, Trinidad and Tobago is now one of the most violent nations in the Caribbean and Latin America, according to authorities.
The country’s murder rate has surged in 2024, prompting Prime Minister Keith Rowley to announce emergency powers, granting the police and military expanded authority.
Under the new measures, security forces can detain individuals without charge and conduct searches without warrants.
Prime Minister Rowley expressed disappointment over the rising murder count, emphasizing that the new powers were intended to disrupt criminal activity.
“We have to make life uncomfortable for criminals,” he said in a statement.
While Rowley has been criticised for not attending a press conference in Port of Spain, Attorney General Stuart Young addressed the media, confirming that there would be no curfew imposed for the time being.
Young explained that the emergency powers were necessary due to a week of “brazen acts” by criminals, many involving high-velocity assault weapons. He also warned of potential reprisal attacks at a scale that could pose a serious threat to public safety.
“We are facing heightened criminal activity between gangs, and it’s not just about reducing the homicide rate,” Young said. “It’s about preparing for more brazen acts, which will endanger public safety.”
Young admitted that crime rates had escalated during the current government’s tenure over the past decade, with gang violence and organized crime driving much of the bloodshed.
President Christine Kangaloo issued a formal proclamation, stating that the situation had reached a level where public safety was at immediate risk.
“I am satisfied that a public emergency has arisen as a result of actions that are likely to endanger public safety,” she said.
According to police estimates, approximately 42.6% of the murders in 2024 are gang-related, with nearly all linked to organized criminal groups.
This is the second state of emergency declared in Trinidad and Tobago in recent years. The last declaration occurred in 2021 to enforce Covid-19 restrictions.
