PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Trinidad and Tobago declared a new state of emergency on Tuesday, just about a month after the last one ended, as authorities in the Caribbean nation continue to grapple with a high rate of violent crime.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar cited credible reports of planned attacks on law enforcement officers as the state of emergency was reimposed, which gives the government additional powers including arrests and searches without a warrant.
Trinidad and Tobago has been under a state of emergency for approximately 10 of the past 14 months, the last of which ended on 31 January.
Bicesar said the country’s National Security Council noted that ongoing criminal activity has resulted in “mass shootings that have resulted in multiple deaths, and retaliatory shootings between criminal gangs that endanger public safety if left unchecked.”
The initial duration of the state of emergency is a maximum of 15 days, but the government can extend it if necessary. Government officials did not immediately announce any curfew plans.
The latest move to curb crime is expected to have a negative impact on tourism revenue.
“It’s really not good for tourism,” said Reginald McLean, president of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association.
With wars ongoing in Ukraine and the Middle East, the emergency comes “at a time when we should be taking advantage of what’s happening in other parts of the world to encourage people to come to our shores,” MacLean said.
There have been 63 killings in the twin-island nation so far this year, just one less than the same period last year.
The country’s main opposition has slammed the latest state of emergency, accusing the government of failing to tackle crime.
Opposition leader Pennelope Beckles said in a statement: “This government has repeatedly demonstrated that it prefers authoritarian measures to sound, strategic crime management, and it has once again chosen to restrict citizens’ freedoms rather than address Trinidad and Tobago’s systemic crime problems.”
