PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — A spike in deadly gang violence have prompted Trinidad and Tobago to implement a country-wide state of emergency.
“There is no doubt in my mind that we are dealing with an epidemic,” National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds told reporters at a press conference late last month.
While the state of emergency will not see a curfew being 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 conduct arrests without a warrant.
Acting Attorney General Stuart Young stressed that while there was general concern about the increased violence, there was particular unease about “increased and heightened brazen acts of criminal activity” by gangs carrying illegal weapons.
“The criminal gangs via the use of the high-powered assault weapons and other illegal firearms in areas of Trinidad and possibly Tobago are likely to immediately increase their brazen acts of violence in reprisal shootings on a scale so extensive that it threatens persons and will endanger 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 have accounted for 263 of them.
UPDATED INFO AT TRAVEL.GC.CA
Also on Dec. 30, the Canadian government flagged Trinidad and Tobago with updated travel advice.
“On December 30, 2024, the Trinidad and Tobago authorities declared a nationwide state of emergency in response to gang violence. While the state of emergency is in effect, security forces have increased rights, without warrants, to conduct searches of persons and property and arrest and detain persons of interest,” according to the Trinidad and Tobago page at Travel.gc.ca.
Anyone in Trinidad and Tobago should expect an increased police and military presence, carry their ID at all times and follow the instructions of local authorities, as the site notes.
The Canadian government’s travel advice for the islands also includes a warning to avoid non-essential travel to several areas due to high levels of violence and gang-related crime. More details can be found here.
With file from The Associated Press
