DIÁLOGO AMERICAS ILLUSTRATION
DIÁLOGO AMERICAS
Trinidad and Tobago kicked off the new year under a state of emergency, following an alarming rise in violence and retaliatory gang killings. “The gangs in Trinidad and Tobago are growing and competing with each other for control of illicit businesses, territory, access, routes and control of illicit goods,” Guillermo Holzmann, defense analyst and academic at the University of Valparaíso, Chile, told Diálogo, a publication of U.S. Southern Command. “With the increased number of gangs, there is a rise in corruption. With greater corruption comes increased institutional weakness. All of this generates more space for the growth of organized crime.”
Decrease in homicides
“The decision to declare a state of emergency was taken due to a series of incidents, which resulted in a death outside a police station and, 24 hours later, a shootout that left five dead and one wounded,” a spokesperson for the office of Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley said. “Intelligence reports indicated a high possibility of more attacks with automatic weapons.”
The measure, announced on December 30, 2024, allows police searches without a warrant and 48-hour detentions, and is already yielding good results, Trinidadian authorities said.
Since the measure came into force, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has seen a 73% reduction in violent crime, Deputy Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin told the news media. “In addition, there has been a decrease in the country’s homicide rate, with 18 murders compared to 34 in the same period of 2023.”
“As we intensify operations across the nation, both in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and through independent deployments, our primary focus is to maintain peace, protect communities, and uphold the rule of law,” the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment posted on Facebook on January 16. “Every effort is being made to respond swiftly and decisively to any threats or challenges, with the wellbeing of the public as our utmost priority.”
On January 13, the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament extended the state of emergency by three months after police received intelligence on an imminent gang war. Rowley told Parliament the emergency measure was saving lives and preventing mass killings with high-powered rifles, possibly in crowded public areas.
In 2024, authorities recorded 623 homicides on the islands, a record number. Of these, 263 were related to gang violence, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds told The Associated Press. “This situation goes beyond the main island of Trinidad and also permeates Tobago, the smaller island to the north.”
According to a report cited by the Chief Secretary of Tobago, the island’s head of government, Farley Chavez Augustine, his country is experiencing a worrisome increase in gang activity. Augustine pointed out that the number of gangs on the island skyrocketed from just three in 2009 to 28 in 2022. The growth rate surpasses that of Port of Spain, Trinidad, which saw a decrease in the number of gangs during the same period.
“When we had 24 registered gangs, Port of Spain had 41,” Augustine said. “But by 2022, when we had 28 gangs, it was reported that Port of Spain only had 21, which means that their trajectory has been decreasing in recent years.”
In that sense, there has been clear progress. Twenty-four people were arrested January 22 as part of the state of emergency operations in the Central, North-Central and Port of Spain divisions. On January 31, after a 72-hour operation, authorities arrested 18 people, Loop T&T reported.
Support from the United States
Meanwhile, U.S. support for Trinidad and Tobago and initiatives to combat organized crime and increase the security of that nation are ongoing. Between January 6-10, the Tradewinds 2025 mid-planning conference was carried out in Port of Spain. The upcoming exercise, sponsored by U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), is led by U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH) and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.
The mid-planning conference brought together nearly 150 participants from USSOUTHCOM and partner nations, ARSOUTH indicated. In December 2024, then-U.S. Ambassador Candace Bond and U.S. Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, USSOUTHCOM commander, met with Prime Minister Rowley and other government ministers for discussions on security, energy, cybersecurity and human rights cooperation. During the meeting, the leaders signed the Status of Forces Agreement to facilitate interoperability between the armed forces of both countries, and initiatives such as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Technical Assistance Field Team and the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement.
That same month, Trinidad and Tobago co-hosted the Caribbean Nations Security Conference in Port of Spain, bringing together 21 nations to discuss a regional approach for responding to natural disasters, crises and common threats. The USSOUTHCOM-sponsored annual regional security forum fosters cooperation, strengthens partnerships and the sharing of lessons learned.
In August 2024, Trinidad and Tobago became the second Caribbean country to implement Interpol Washington’s border security solutions. Under Project Terminus, two custom software solutions were installed: Stolen and Lost Travel Documents Workbench and Stolen Motor Vehicles Workbench, strengthening Trinidad and Tobago’s ability to share and manage vital documents and vehicle information with 195 member countries. The initiative is supported by CARICOM IMPACS and funded by the U.S. State Department’s Office of State Counter Terrorism Bureau.
“This tremendous milestone underscores the vital importance of international partnerships in enhancing border security,” said Keith Hood, Interpol Washington’s lead for Project Terminus. “By working together with Trinidad and Tobago, we are fortifying not only their borders but also the security of the entire Caribbean region and beyond.”