Trinidad and Tobago imposes state of emergency after rise in gang violence

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (AP) – A spike in deadly gang violence got The Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago to implement a nationwide state of emergency on Monday.

The statement followed a weekend marked by a wave of gang-related violence that resulted in several deaths, including five men believed to be victims of reprisals.

“There is no doubt in my mind that we are dealing with an epidemic,” National Security Secretary Fitzgerald Hinds told reporters at a news conference.

While the state of emergency will not see a curfew implemented, residents were told to expect an increased police and military presence.

Law enforcement will also have the ability to conduct searches, detain suspects for 48 hours and make arrests without a warrant. Schools, businesses and other activities, including upcoming New Year celebrations, are expected to proceed as planned.

Acting Attorney General Stuart Young stressed that while there was general concern about the increased violence, there was particular dismay at “increased and intensified brazen acts of criminal activity” by gangs carrying illegal weapons.

“The criminal gangs are likely to immediately increase their brazen acts of reprisal violence on a scale that threatens and endangers individuals through the use of high-powered assault weapons and other illegal firearms in areas of Trinidad and possibly Tobago. public safety,” Young said.

The Twin Island Republic has recorded an unprecedented 623 homicides for the year to date, and according to Hinds, gang-related activities accounted for 263 of them.

Residents of Trinidad and Tobago are no strangers to states of emergency.

In 2021, the Keith Rowley administration implemented one to restrict movement and limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus during the pandemic. Ten years earlier, his predecessor Kamla Persad-Bissessar imposed a limited state of emergency and curfew in areas declared crime “hotspots”.