State of Emergency declared in Trinidad & Tobago

8:57 am, Mon December 30, 2024

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Keith Scotland

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Keith Scotland, National Security Minister, Trinidad & Tobago, speaking at Monday's press conference

In the face of soaring crime, highlighted by more than 600 murders this year, the Government of Trinidad & Tobago has declared a State of Public Emergency.

The decision to impose the security measure was announced by the Ministry of Communications, which stated that President Christine Kangaloo, "on the advice of the Prime Minister" had declared the state of emergency "being satisfied that the circumstances of Section 8 (2) (c) of the constitution exists."

As at Sunday, December 29, the murder toll for 2024 in the twin-island Caribbean state stood at 614, beating the 605 recorded in all of 2022.

Then, overnight, there were five more killings (the victims, all men, in a mass shooting, believed to be a reprisal for another killing on December 27.

The Trinidad Express newspaper, in its Sunday edition, said Security consultant and former executive director of the National Operations Centre (NOC) Garvin Heerah had declared that the country had reached a tipping point.

“With the homicide rate surpassing 614 and climbing, we are faced with a stark reality: crime and criminal networks have taken control, demonstrating blatant disregard for the law and the lives of law-abiding citizens.

“Criminals no longer fear the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS); instead, they act with impunity, emboldened by a belief that they are untouchable. The consequences of this crisis are devastating," Heerath said.

But, even in the wake of the declaration of the State of Emergency, former National Security Minister and Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith, said this was not going to solve the rising crime rate in Trinidad & Tobago.

It was a stop-gap measure and should not be used as a crime fighting tool, he said, according to the Express.

The last State of Emergency in Trinidad & Tobago was imposed in 2011. Before that, there was the 1990 imposition in response to an attempted coup against the government of then Prime Minister, ANR Robinson.