Why Trinidad and Tobago has declared an emergency

What do we know about the recent burst of violence?

Armed gunmen reportedly shot at a known gang leader who was exiting a police station on Saturday, while five men were shot dead in a retaliatory killing on Sunday, according to local newspaper Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

According to a CNN report, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said two others had been killed on Friday, while 15 others had been killed in gun-related incidents since last Monday.

Acting Attorney-General Stuart Young attributed the current spike to the use of high-calibre firearms by criminal gangs, alluding to its increased use across the CARICOM region – the federation of Caribbean countries – as a matter of grave concern. The country does not manufacture firearms of its own, but over 7,000 firearms were recovered from them between 2018 and 2022 according to CNN. About 75 per cent of these came from the US, according to the GAO.

Why was an emergency declared and what does it mean, in effect?

In a statement issuing the proclamation, President Christine Kangaloo cited a threat to public safety.

According to AG Young, who held a press conference on Monday, the measures were introduced following a week of “brazen acts” by criminals. He said, “What we are faced with was heightened criminal activity with the use of high-velocity assault weapons in reprisal attacks between gangs.”

He said he expected a wave of reprisal attacks at a “scale so extensive that it endangers public safety”.

However, there will be no curfew, nor will public gatherings be affected. Newsday also reported Young saying that the use of fireworks or other New Year’s celebrations would not be banned. The emergency could possibly continue well into Trinidad’s massive Carnival, a world-famous extravaganza that draws crowds from across the world.

Best known for its street parades, the carnival is typically held on the Monday and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday in March.

Under the emergency powers by the office of Prime Minister Keith Rowley, the police are authorised to search people and premises without warrants. The intent is to target the unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives.

“We’re going to have a 48-hour holding period where people can be held under these regulations,” Young said. Further, a tribunal is being formed in collaboration with the acting Chief Justice to oversee the legal parameters of detaining people during emergency.

The emergency reportedly empowers the defence forces with the powers of the police. Trinidad and Tobago Newsday also reported that the parliament would be convened in 15 days to determine if the State of Emergency should be extended.

Is this the first time the country is under an emergency?

No. A state of emergency was declared in the country in 2014 following a similar spike in violence. The country also declared a ‘limited’ state of emergency in 2011 following a spike in drug-related crimes.

Emergency was last declared in 2021 in the country to implement Covid restrictions.