Trinidad and Tobago kicked off the new year under a state of emergency, following an alarming rise in violence and retaliatory gang killings.
“The gangs in Trinidad and Tobago are growing and competing with each other for control of illicit businesses, territory, access, routes, and control of illicit goods,” Guillermo Holzmann, defense analyst and academic at the University of Valparaíso, Chile, told Diálogo. “With the increased number of gangs, there is a rise in corruption. With greater corruption comes increased institutional weakness. All of this generates more space for the growth of organized crime.”
Decrease in homicides
“The decision to declare a state of emergency was taken due to a series of incidents, which resulted in a death outside a police station and, 24 hours later, a shootout that left five dead and one wounded,” a spokesperson for the office of the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley said. “Intelligence reports indicated a high possibility of more attacks with automatic weapons.”
The measure, announced on December 30, allows police searches without a warrant and 48-hour detentions, and is already yielding good results, Trinidadian authorities said.
Since the measure came into force, the Trinidad and Tobago Police (TTP) has seen a 73 percent reduction in violent crime, Deputy Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin told the press. “In addition, there has been a decrease in the country’s homicide rate, with 18 murders compared to 34 in the same period of 2023.”
“As we intensify operations across the country, both in collaboration with the TTP and in independent deployments, our main focus is strengthened to maintain peace, protect communities, and guarantee the rule of law,” the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment posted on Facebook. “We are responding quickly and decisively to any threat.”
On January 13, the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament extended the state of emergency by three months, after police said to have received intelligence on an imminent gang war. Rowley told Parliament that the emergency measure was saving lives and preventing mass killings with high-powered rifles, possibly in crowded public areas.
During 2024, authorities recorded 623 homicides on the islands, a record number. Of these, 263 were related to gang violence, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds told AP. “This situation goes beyond the main island of Trinidad and also permeates Tobago, the smaller island to the north.”
According to a report cited by the Chief Secretary of Tobago, the island’s head of government, Farley Chavez Augustine, his country is experiencing a worrisome increase in gang activity. Augustine pointed out that the number of gangs on the island skyrocketed from just three in 2009 to 28 in 2022. The growth rate surpasses that of Port of Spain, in Trinidad, which decreased its number of gangs in the same period.
“When we had 24 registered gangs, Port of Spain had 41,” Augustine said. “But by 2022, when we had 28 gangs, it was reported that Port of Spain only had 21, which means that their trajectory has been decreasing in recent years.”
In that sense, there has been clear progress. Twenty-four people were arrested on January 22 as part of the state of emergency operations in the Central, North-Central, and Port of Spain divisions. On January 31, after a 72-hour operation, authorities arrested 18 criminals, Loop T&T reported.
United States, stalwarts
Meanwhile, U.S. support for Trinidad and Tobago and initiatives to combat organized crime and increase the security of that nation is ongoing.
Between January 6-10, the Tradewinds 2025 mid-planning conference was carried out in Port of Spain. The upcoming U.S. Southern Command- (SOUTHCOM) sponsored exercise is co-led by U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH) and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.
The mid-planning conference brought together nearly 150 participants from SOUTHCOM and partner nations, ARSOUTH indicated.
In December, then U.S. Ambassador Candace Bond and U.S. Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, SOUTHCOM commander met with Prime Minister Rowley and other government ministers for discussions on security, energy, cybersecurity, and human rights cooperation. During the meeting, the leaders signed the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to facilitate interoperability between the armed forces of both countries, and initiatives such as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Technical Assistance Field Team (CBSI-TAFT), and the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA).
That same month Trinidad and Tobago co-hosted the Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC) in Port of Spain, bringing together 21 nations to discuss enabling a regional approach to respond to natural disasters, crises, and common threats. The SOUTHCOM-sponsored annual regional security forum aims at fostering ties of cooperation, strengthening partnerships, and sharing lessons learning.
In August, Trinidad and Tobago became the second Caribbean country to implement Interpol Washington’s border security solutions. Under Project Terminus, two custom software solutions were installed: Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) Workbench and Stolen Motor Vehicles (SMV) Workbench, strengthening Trinidad and Tobago’s ability to share and manage vital documents and vehicle information with 195 member countries, in the fight against crime and terrorism.
The initiative is supported by CARICOM IMPACS and funded by the U.S. State Department’s Office of State Counter Terrorism Bureau.
“This tremendous milestone underscores the vital importance of international partnerships in enhancing border security,” said Interpol Washington’s lead for Project Terminus Keith Hood. “By working together with Trinidad and Tobago, we are fortifying not only their borders but also the security of the entire Caribbean region and beyond.”
