The President of Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency to curb violence in the country. This follows the murder of a gang leader last Saturday, which led to the shooting of five men in a store on Sunday.
Police stated these attacks were retaliations for the gang leader’s murder. The Caribbean nation’s government declared the emergency to empower police to more effectively combat gangs involved in drug trafficking.
During the state of emergency, individuals can be searched without direct cause, and citizens can be detained for 48 hours without a warrant, with a judge able to extend this by seven days. The military is also being deployed, temporarily granted the same powers as the police.
The Minister of National Security described the gang violence as an “epidemic,” noting a record 622 murders last year, nearly half attributed to gang violence. In 2011, a limited state of emergency was declared with a curfew in crime-prone areas, but no curfew is associated with the current state of emergency.
Source: NOS