The President of Trinidad and Tobago, Christine Kangaloo, declared a state of emergency throughout the country on Monday due to “increased criminal activity that threatens public security” of the country, said a statement from the head of state's office.
Reuters emphasizes that the President of Trinidad and Tobago, Christine Kangaloo – in consultation with Prime Minister Keith Rowley – decided to introduce state of emergency throughout the country.
It was justified by the sharp increase in crime in recent months. The police appealed to the state authorities to take action to limit it.
The immediate reason for the introduction of the state of emergency was “another multiple murder in which at least three people died,” the statement said. According to the latest information, five people were killed in a shooting in the suburbs of the capital Port of Spain.
State of emergency in Trinidad and TobagoReuters Archive
Increase in violence in Trinidad and Tobago
The annual “number of homicides is already the highest in history and amounts to over 600,” wrote President Kangaloo. Authorities in Port of Spain recalled that a state of emergency was previously introduced in Trinidad and Tobago in 2011 due to an increase in crime.
The current document does not specify the details of the restrictions, such as the curfew. The government spokesman only announced that detailed rules for the state of emergency will be announced soon.
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the countries with the highest crime rate. According to the Global Organized Crime Index, which is financed by, among others, government USA and the EU, the country lies along one of the world's most important cocaine smuggling corridors from South America to the US and Europe.
In the Caribbean, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago also have a similar opinion Dominican Republic. On a smaller scale, drug smuggling also takes place between Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana Venezuela.
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