Police commissioner says there has been intelligence of formation of organised crime syndicate intent on havoc

Trinidad and Tobago has declared its second state of emergency this year amid “grave concerns” about a coordinated threat from organised crime gangs inside and outside the country’s prisons.

Announcing the decision on Friday, the commissioner of police, Allister Guevarro, said his force had received intelligence the day before that the gangs had “formed themselves into … an organised crime syndicate” and were intent on wreaking havoc and planning assassinations, robberies and kidnappings.

He confirmed that authorities had started relocating certain gang leaders from the prison system to another facility to manage the threat.

“There are persons who seem hellbent on facilitating the communication of these persons with the outside,” he said. “So by removing them from this environment and placing them in one where they are much more secure, I can feel rest assured that communication link is broken.”

He would not confirm whether any member of the protective services were involved in the syndicate.

Despite Friday’s declaration, Guevarro insisted there had been no recent surge in crime, calling the pre-emptive action part of a broader strategy developed in consultation with the minister of homeland security.

The twin-island Caribbean country, which has a population of about 1.5 million, has been struggling with rising homicides and gang violence for more than a decade. Last year it recorded 624 homicides, making it one of the most violent countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In May this year, local media reported a 33% decrease compared with the same period in 2024 and 2023.

But the country’s attorney general, John Jeremie, said on Friday there had been a resurgence of gang-related homicides and kidnappings. Responding to a question about the length of the state of emergency he said it would be for “as long as the security forces tell us that they need the additional legislative support”.

The terms of the current state of emergency mirror those of one announced in December 2024 and extended for three months in January this year. There is no curfew in place, and citizens are free to move about. However, law enforcement officers now have enhanced powers, including the ability to enter premises without a warrant.

The former Trinidad and Tobago police commissioner Gary Griffith called the declaration “ridiculous” and said the issue could have been resolved with better prison management.

“There was a situation where there was a major criminal element in the Port of Spain prison, and three times in 24 hours, we seized a phone from that individual. As soon as we seized the phone, he got another one – because of prison officers on the take,” he said.

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