State of Emergency as Violence Escalates in Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency following a surge in deadly violence. The government is enacting measures to reduce gang-related crime, with police empowered to search without warrants and detain suspects, amid concerns over high-caliber firearms imported from the US.

- Country:
- Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago declared a state of emergency in response to a surge in weekend violence, amidst an already deadly year, CNN reports. Announced by Prime Minister Keith Rowley's office, the measure allows police to conduct warrantless searches and detain suspects for up to 48 hours, aiming to curtail what Rowley described as an 'unacceptably high level of violent crime.' Notably, no curfew has been implemented.
The decision follows gun violence incidents which have brought Trinidad and Tobago's 2024 murder toll to 623, marking a record since 2013, according to CNN. The US Government Accountability Office classifies this nation of 1.5 million as having one of the Caribbean's highest murder rates, alongside Jamaica and Haiti, with violent deaths nearly triple the global average. Authorities warn of expected increases in gang-related crimes involving powerful assault weapons.
During a Monday briefing, Acting Attorney General Stuart Young stated December had already seen 61 homicides. Incidents included a Saturday shooting with an automatic weapon outside a police station and a Port of Spain attack the next day, resulting in six deaths and injuries. National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds noted two killings on Friday were in gang and domestic incidents, and 15 gun-related deaths have occurred since last Monday.
Hinds described recent events as a 'gang violence outbreak,' with military involvement in enforcing the emergency. Young underscored that gang use of high-caliber firearms had prompted the emergency, expressing concern over survival chances due to these weapons' velocity. This concern reverberates throughout CARICOM, the regional Caribbean Community.
The US State Department links much violent crime in Trinidad and Tobago, such as murder, assault, and kidnapping, to gang activity and drug trafficking. In July, it issued a Level 3 travel advisory due to crime, CNN reports. Young emphasized dialogue with the US to address how many imported weapons originate there, noting no Caribbean firearm production—over 7,000 firearms were confiscated between 2018 and 2022, with nearly 75% from the US, according to GAO.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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