Trinidad and Tobago declares second state of emergency, citing gang threat
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Colombia's Petro threatens to alter Glencore contract over Israel coal exports
BOGOTA, July 23 (Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday threatened to unilaterally alter Glencore's (GLEN.L), opens new tab concession contract if the mining giant continues to export coal to Israel, though the company said it has already ceased the shipments in compliance with a presidential decree. "I am willing to unilaterally change the concession contract," Petro said during an energy event for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The president also warned that if Glencore refuses to comply with the decree to suspend the shipments, he would ask the local community near the mine to stage blockades. In response, the company said it was already in compliance with the order. "Cerrejon has acted in accordance with the decree issued by President Petro. In fact, our last shipment of coal was some two weeks before the decree came into effect," the company told Reuters. Petro suspended exports of the fuel source to Israel over its assault on the Gaza Strip. Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Glencore's Cerrejon operation, located in Colombia's northeastern La Guajira province, is one of the world's largest open-pit coal export mines. It includes a 150-kilometer (93-mile) railway line and a port on the Caribbean Sea. Cerrejon's production reached 19 million metric tons in 2024. In March, the company announced it would cut its annual thermal coal production by between 5 million and 10 million tons due to low mineral prices.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
3 Haitian police officers and 2 civilians killed as gangs overrun a central region
Three Haitian police officers and two civilians were killed in the country's central region, where gang violence has surged, the government and a police union said Wednesday. The officers were members of a specialized unit known as UDMO, which is largely activated during protests and disturbances. A video shared on social media show gunmen dragging the bodies of at least two officers near a burning armored vehicle as heavy gunfire fills the air. SPNH-17, a local police union, said that two 'brave citizens' fighting alongside the slain officers in Artibonite also were killed. It called on the government to better protect police as it warned they were preparing to revolt. 'The government does not give the police any importance. If they took this seriously, they would have made the means and support available to the police and the military to end the insecurity,' the union said. 'Too many police officers have fallen.' Haiti's transitional presidential council said that the government was mobilizing all necessary resources to investigate the killings and honor the memory of those slain. From October 2024 until the end of June, more than 1,000 people were killed, 213 injured and 620 kidnapped in Haiti's Artibonite and Central departments, according to the U.N. human rights office. A Kenyan-led, U.N.-backed mission is helping Haiti's National Police to quell gang violence, but officers often are overwhelmed by powerful gangs with military-grade weapons. At least two Kenyan officers have been killed this year, both in Artibonite.
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
Five 'dangerous' gang members guilty of murdering boy and man at music video shoot
Five "violent" and "dangerous" gang members have been found guilty of murdering a boy and a young man at a music video shoot in a north London estate. The men had gone to the Elthorne Estate in Archway "with the intention of killing anyone they could", the Metropolitan Police said. And the group mistook those they attacked for rival gang members. Lorik Lupqi, 21; Jason Furtado, 28; Abel Chunda, 29; Xavier Poponne, 22; and Eden Clark, 31, were convicted of murdering 15-year-old Leonardo Reid and 23-year-old Klevi Shekaj and attempting to murder 28-year-old Abdullah Abdullahi. Leonardo and Mr Shekaj were fatally stabbed and Mr Abdullahi was badly hurt when knifemen descended on the event on the night of 29 June 2023. Leonardo and his brother had been watching a music video being filmed with friends. Police said Lupqi, a gang member from Islington, saw the gathering at around 8.30pm and took it as an opportunity to hurt those he thought were gang opponents. He messaged his girlfriend stating that "opps were outside". She advised him to remain inside, but Lupqi decided to contact his close friend and gang associate Jason Furtado. They formed a plan and recruited gang members Chunda, Clark and Poponne to travel to the estate. Lupqi had booked a taxi to pick up the three men from the area of Furtado's home address in Canonbury, north London, telling the cab firm: "I'm in a little bit of a rush," the jury heard. They had worn masks and were armed as they went to the Elthorne Estate where they met Lupqi, the court was told. By the time they arrived, the filming had ended, and most people had left, but some local children and teenagers remained in the area. The group then carried out their deadly attack. The alarm was raised as a black-clad figure wearing a balaclava was spotted crouching down and moving towards Leonardo, his brother and others, with a large knife. Three more males in black stood up from where they had been hiding behind cars as they edged towards the group, the court was told. Leonardo was stabbed in the chest, with the wound cutting through his left lung and one of the major blood vessels in his body, causing fatal blood loss. Leonardo's brother had run away from the scene but later looped back and saw his sibling lying motionless on the ground, the court heard. Mr Shekaj was stabbed in the back, with the wound cutting through his left lung and deep into his body. He was driven to Whittington Hospital by members of the public but he died on arrival. Detective Inspector Jim Barry said: "These violent men went into this estate with the intention of killing anyone they could, under the false impression that those there were rival gang members. "This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi's loved ones. "This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars but the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim's shattered families for longer." The five killers will appear at the same court on 25 and 26 September for sentencing.
