State of emergency declared in Trinidad and Tobago as government launches anti-gang crackdown

Trinidad and Tobago declared a state of emergency on Monday as the government braced for reprisal shootings after an attempt on a gang leader’s life, officials said.

The dual-island Caribbean nation off the coast of Venezuela will use the emergency to launch an anti-gang crackdown, authorities said.

Though there will be no curfew, the declaration will come with increased police and military action.

Defense forces will become de facto police officers and both are allowed to conduct searches without a warrant, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said at a news conference.

Bail will be suspended and those suspected of committing a crime can be held for 48 hours without a charge. That could be extended another seven days by court approval, Young said.

On Saturday, armed gunmen shot at a known gang leader who was leaving the police station, killing a member of his crew, according to Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

The report did not name the gang leader.

On Sunday evening, five men were shot dead in what is believed to be an act of retaliation, Newsday reported.

“There is no doubt in my mind that we are dealing with an epidemic,” National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds told reporters at a news onference.

Trinidad and Tobago has seen a record number of murders this year.

The island republic has recorded an unprecedented 623 homicides for the year to date and, according to Hinds, gang-related activities have accounted for 263 of them.