Mon Dec 30 17:50:00 UTC 2024: ## Trinidad and Tobago Declares State of Emergency Amidst Soaring Murder Rate
**Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago** – Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency in response to a surge in violent crime, with the murder count reaching a staggering 623 for 2024. The unprecedented number, in a nation of just 1.5 million people, places the country among the most violent in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
The decision follows a particularly bloody weekend that saw five men shot dead in an estate near the capital, Port of Spain, a man killed outside a police station, and a woman fatally shot while collecting her son from a hospital. Police report that approximately 42.6% of the murders are gang-related, with virtually all linked to organized crime.
Under the emergency powers, police and the army have been granted broad authority to detain individuals without charge and conduct warrantless searches. Prime Minister Keith Rowley, while expressing disappointment at the escalating violence, urged law enforcement to utilize these new powers to disrupt criminal activity.
Attorney General Stuart Young, speaking at a press conference in the absence of the Prime Minister (a point criticized by local media), stated that while no curfew is currently in place, the emergency measures are a response to a week of brazen criminal acts and the anticipated threat of large-scale reprisal attacks. He acknowledged the government’s failure to curb the rising crime rates over the past decade.
President Christine Kangaloo formally declared the state of emergency, citing the widespread and dangerous nature of the criminal activity as a threat to public safety. The last state of emergency declared in Trinidad and Tobago was in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current situation highlights a deep-seated crisis of organized crime and gang violence that continues to plague the nation.
First Piper 