Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency (SoE) in response to escalating violence, including a massacre in Laventille that left five men dead overnight. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley authorized the declaration early Monday morning, following a recommendation from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
In a statement from the Ministry of Communications, citizens were informed that President Christine Carla Kangaloo, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, proclaimed the SoE under Section 8(2)(c) of the Constitution. The proclamation cited “heightened criminal activity which endangers public safety.”
President Kangaloo’s proclamation stated, “I am satisfied that a public emergency has risen as a result of the occurrence of action that has been taken or is immediately threatened by a person, of such a nature and on so extensive a scale, as to be likely to endanger the public safety.”
The massacre at Prizgar Lands in Laventille is the latest in a string of gang-related killings along the East-West Corridor. According to the Trinidad Express, the incident is linked to another shooting that occurred Saturday that claimed the life of one man. It highlights the worsening crime crisis, which has already resulted in a record-breaking 620 murders this year.
The government’s response mirrors previous states of emergency in the nation’s history. In 2021, an SoE was declared to combat the spread of COVID-19, while in 2014, the People’s Partnership administration implemented one to address a similar surge in violent crime. Despite these measures, crime has persisted as a critical issue.
A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister’s Communications Division emphasized the gravity of the situation:
“Pursuant to section 8 of the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo, ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Commander-in-Chief, has, on the advice of Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, declared a state of public emergency being satisfied that the circumstances of section 8(2)(c) of the Constitution exist.
“The circumstances warranting the declaration of the public emergency are based on the advice of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to the National Security Council of heightened criminal activity which endangers the public safety.”
