Trinidad PM issues warning to gangs, signals readiness for another SOE

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar has issued a forceful warning to criminal gangs and recently released detainees, declaring that law-abiding citizens are “fed up” with ongoing criminal activity and that her government will act decisively to maintain public safety.

In a lengthy statement shared on social media, Persad-Bissessar said she would have “no hesitation” in declaring another State of Emergency (SOE) if criminal elements fail to “behave yourselves,” adding that those returned to criminal activity would be sent “straight back to prison.”

The Prime Minister further warned that individuals who aid or abet criminal behaviour would also face consequences, stating that friends and family members who assist criminals would “accompany you” back to prison. She said her government intends to “tip the scales” in favour of law-abiding citizens and pledged to use “every means within the law” to combat crime.

Persad-Bissessar said the United National Congress (UNC) government and security services are prepared for the end of the current SOE, and dismissed criticism she described as “tired, outdated woke, race baiting, and bigoted propaganda.”

She also pointed to what she described as measurable gains in national security, stating that there were 257 fewer murders in 2025 compared to 2024. According to the Prime Minister, this reduction was due to a combination of American assistance in securing borders, what she called the competent leadership of Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro, and the incarceration of individuals detained under the SOE using PDOs.

In her remarks, Persad-Bissessar sharply criticized the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), accusing it of benefiting politically from rising crime rates. She alleged that “local drug mafia financiers” and the PNM were angered by the reduction in murders, claiming they believed higher levels of violence would improve their chances of returning to government.

The Prime Minister went further, alleging that the PNM administration over the past decade operated as a “narco government” and enabled serious crimes, including murder and rape, through policies she claimed were designed to benefit drug financiers.

Persad-Bissessar said her administration is committed to dismantling violent gangs and the drug networks that finance them, asserting that “narco influence in government affairs and policy ended with the removal of the PNM on April 28, 2025.”

She concluded by reiterating her government’s commitment to protecting law-abiding citizens and maintaining public order, warning that anyone who seeks to terrorize citizens will be met with firm and lawful action by the state.