Government Declares State of Emergency
A State of Emergency has been declared in Trinidad and Tobago.
President of Trinidad and Tobago, Christine Kangaloo, on the advice of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, declared the State of Emergency on December 30th.
The Government maintains this was the best course due to the significant increase in violent crimes, particularly those involving the use of high-powered illegal firearms.
Speaking at Monday’s Media Conference, Acting Attorney General, Senior Counsel Stuart Young, and Minister of National Security, Fitzgerald Hinds, explained that the SOE became necessary due to the significant increase in violent crimes, particularly those involving the use of high-powered illegal firearms and their associated threat to public safety.
Minister Young outlined the seriousness of the decision made under Section 8 of the Constitution. He said it resulted from intelligence provided by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service pertaining to activities by criminal gangs, including reprisal killings.
“The criminal gangs, via the use of 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.”
The Acting AG reiterated that there is no intention at this time to enforce a curfew. He said the target of this National Public State of Emergency is those who engage in activities with criminal intent of endangering public safety through the use of illegal firearms.
“The Police Service will be given the powers to search premises without warrants, to search persons without warrants who they have suspicions of carrying out criminal activities, a lot of it associated with illegal firearms, and also to detain persons for periods of time. The regulations are setting out the process and procedure, we are going to have a 48-hour holding period where persons can be held under these regulations; thereafter, a Magistrate or a senior police officer can make an order of detention for another seven days whilst evidence is being gathered with respect to persons held under the State of Emergency regulations.”
Giving probable cause statistics from the TTPS, Minister Hinds indicated as of December 26th, there were 551 incidents of murder with 614 victims. He further explained that 93 of them were incidents with more than one victim. There were 33 double homicides, eight triple homicides, four quadruple homicides, and one quintuple homicide, all of which contributed to the declaration of the Public Emergency.
“It will give the Police Service, supported by the Defence Force, the leverage to fight back against these trends on your behalf, the law-abiding citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. The way the regulations are going to be structured, as you would have heard Minister Young elucidate, are intended to deal specifically with the lawless and the lawbreakers.”
Members of the public are being urged to rely on three main sources of information to decrease the possibility of misinformation: the Office of the Prime Minister – Communications, the Ministry of National Security, and the Office of the Attorney General.
32 Comments
So what the THA Chief Secretary wants to reduce the amount of illegal guns in the country.
The THA at most times don't make sense
Police and thieves drive-in the same protective vehicles,who will know who's is police,and who is the thieves?to much power for the, police and the thieves, happy season greetings to everyone in TNT,I hope this SOE,be helpful for our citizens for an safe 2025 ,thank you stautyboy fish 🐠 boy,I hope you all the best, one more thing,I wonder why you didn't answer a simple question from Mr Akash,? you change around the question,I know you big so, 9:29 9:29
620 na boi wee to small for this 🇹🇹 🤦🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️
Stuart little blinks 1 millon times
The pnm government is trash
Hello please 🙏 leave our THA chief alone he not referring to Trinidad,he dealing with his affairs, thanks for the excellent job you are doing across the boarder,✌️👍🙏🏠 9:29
And making weapons for our citizens not legal?
PLEASE STEP DOWN…This GOVERNMENT FAIL Trinidad and Tobago…BIG BIG TIME…..
TAKE…THEM…SPANISH…OUT…OFF..TRINIDAD..AND…UUU..WILL..SEEE…THINGS…WILLL…GOOO…BACK..BETTER…BRO..
6:44 Wow me Neva hear someone say TTT suuuuuuh fast
Those who give up freedom for security won’t get and deserves neither
I blame the government! Starting with Dr. Eric Williams! Why I blame the government? Listen carefully, everyone: Trinidadians and Tobagians don't know who they are and their history. All our ancestors who came to Trinidad and Tobago were the real Hebrew Israelites and Jews. If the government had put this information in the school books, the children would act right, love one another, seek the Heavenly Father YAHAWAH 🙏🏽, keep the 10 commandments, laws, etc. Then the island would have been safe and prosperous.
Trinidad has declared a state of emergency due to the crime rate. Now, the police can enter your house without a court order. What about the criminals who don't need paperwork and dress like tactical police officers?
Again,they don't want to pay attention,to the incoming containers I had the opportunity directly to see well known car dealerships…not only in bamboo,,but also in Tobago i will say no more
1840 square miles. Not a single person can understand how Trinidad can have over 600 murders in a single year. The murder rate was fewer than fifty murders a year in the late 1980's to 600 a year in 2024 in a tiny island the size of Trinidad. By any reasoning this should not be possible. Trinidad has a Prime Minister that publicly stated that this tiny island is a drug shipment point into the U S. Our security forces don't even know when cameras are not working in our ports. Who the hell is running this country? Our Minister of Finance blames the people using credit cards for the Forex Crisis. Can you imagine that? The PM says its the parents of criminals that have the crime level where it is today. Unbelievable. Citizens voted the PNM into Office but every ill in society from crime to fiscal management is on the shoulders of the people, not the managers of the country and is it any wonder then why foreigners do not invest in Trinidad & Tobago? The PNM are a bunch of jokers, liars, and a disgrace. Businesses have been dying because the Finance Minister and the PM cannot manage the economy and both of these incompetent managers blame the population. The only fault the people of Trinidad do have is that the majority vote this same political party into office year after year expecting them to become brilliant when that has never been the case. Denmark has one of the lowest crime levels worldwide, why? Because Denmark generally has a high quality of living, with a relatively small gap between high and low income levels and the political parties work hard to keep it so. They have a Welfare system where nobody has to resort to crime for survival. With the money this tiny island earned from oil and gas Trinidad & Tobago should be a paradise. But it's the opposite. Even the Guyanese PM has publicly stated that he learned what not to do by looking at what the PNM has done to Trinidad and we are so dumb, that we still vote for the PNM. Having Oil for a hundred years and what have the people gotten? 600 Murders and roads paved every four years before a general election. That is the PNM. And that is how dumb we are for voting for the PNM and expecting a significantly better future election after election. So where can you find the dumbest people in the Caribbean? Right here in Trinidad & Tobago. My Country is being run by plunderers and clowns.
GOVERNMENT IS A FRAUD
Correction Trinidad.
The state needs an emergency
They jailed “Christ must list” for exposing the Gangs instead of following up on his investigation. They put the man through so much. Look now. He should sue the Government
These hoodlums, criminals are fulfilling the Bible. People pray for protection over your love ones. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇹🇹🇨🇦🇨🇦🇹🇹
These police are going to take advantage of this power.
if they serious about crime just bring back Gary Griffith talk done…
It’s a preemptive strike and election ploy to distract the citizens and prepare their base for the next election.
Under which rock were Stuart Young and Hinds hiding for the last decade.
I t’s ironic they just wake up to the last ten years of extreme criminal activities: It’s now at a tipping point.
Yea man……. while DARKSEID in D gym pumping up and making jokes with gym buddies,… People DEADIN EVERYDAY…
Chups, DEH LIKE IT SO!
Now the whole world knows..they wait until crime gets to this …Ian Alleyne has been telling you overpaid politicians…
False information
Caricom Genocide: all over the Caricom
The Criminals dont listen to local news where the TTPS speaks on TTT Online. Which media do you think they hear the TTPS. They are not afraid of the Law. The law must be made more forceful. Law enforcement must push towards foreign knowledge for them to know TTPS is serious
The government needs to allow its citizens to arm and defend themselves…just like in the US gun control doesn’t work..Criminals could give a 💩 about your gun laws
When they lock up a government official lets us all know, and road blocks aren't a state of emergency.
Gotta clean up the streets
Oh no will i die or i need to get some backup