Trindad and Tobago declares state of emergency over spike in gang violence

The island nation recorded hundreds of gang-related murders during an unprecedented surge in violence in 2024.

Dual-island nation Trinidad and Tobago declared a state of emergency on Monday after a spate of gang-related homicides on the weekend that officials have described as an “epidemic.”

Two people were killed on average per day in December, increasing the Carribbean country’s total homicide toll to 623 in 2024, representing 0.04 per cent of the 1.5 million population.

It is a marked increase from the 577 homicides recorded in 2023 and is the highest the country has seen since 2013.

The state of emergency grants police the ability to conduct searches and arrests without a warrant and defence forces will act as de facto police officers, meaning the nation will see a much heavier police and military presence on the streets.

Australian government travel advice now warns any Aussies travelling to the popular tourist destination to be cautious.

A state of emergency has been declared.

“Expect an increased police and military presence and minor disruptions, such as roadblocks,” the advice states. “Be alert to changes in the situation, monitor the media and follow the advice of local authorities.”

The tiny nation’s Prime Minister said the move to was to keep the public safe.

“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,” Keith Rowley’s office said in a statement.

Trinidad and Tobago has experienced its highest number of murders on record this year. Picture: Trinidad and Tobago Police Service/Handout/Reuters

In a Monday press conference, attorney general Stuart Young confirmed there will be no curfew or restriction of people’s movement and said police’s expanded search powers may be extended for up to seven days by court approval.

“In a nutshell, what the country is facing is a decision based on information about criminal activity, specifically the use of high-powered and high-calibre weapons,” he said.

“People who are found in the company of anyone with these items will also be detained. Over the last month or so and, in fact, building up to this, the government has been concerned about the use of high-powered illegal firearms.”

According to the United Nations’ Global Study of Homicide, the rate of intentional homicide per 100,000 population in Trinidad and Tobago was almost five times that of the global average in 2023.

The island nation has one of the highest murder rates in the Caribbean, along with Jamaica and Haiti, according to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), CNN reports.

The emergency measures from Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Keith Rowley come as the country enters an election year. Picture: Adrian Dennis – Pool/Getty Images

Tensions reached boiling point over the weekend when alleged gang leader Calvin Lee was attached by gunmen outside a police station in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It was followed by a suspected retaliation that resulted in the death of five men less than 24 hours later in a nearby suburb.

An alliance between a major gang, Sixx, and other criminal gangs has “dramatically increased’ the number of gang members operating under Sixx and is one of the key reasons behind the escalation of violence in the country, the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday reports.

National security minister Fitzgerald Hinds called the spike in violent murders “an epidemic,” with 551 shootings recorded this year, as of December 26.

A state of emergency had previously been declared for the same reason in 2011, but the application was limited to “hotspots” of crime.

The measures come as the country prepares for a general election in late 2025 between Mr Rowley’s People National Movement and the opposition led by former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

– With additional reporting from AFP.