NATIONAL Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds says the state of emergency (SoE) is designed to confront criminals and provide law enforcement with easier access to them than under normal circumstances.
“It will give the police service, supported by the Defence Force, the leverage to fight back against these trends (growing gang violence) on your behalf, the law-abiding citizens of Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.
He added that the way the regulations are structured is intended to specifically address lawlessness and lawbreakers, while allowing law-abiding citizens to carry on with their lives as they normally would.
“They will now be able to continue their lives in the peace that we all deserve, the peace that we all expect,” he added.
Hinds spoke at a press conference in Port of Spain on December 30, where he shared statistics on the escalation of crime, emphasising the consequences of gang activities on law-abiding people.
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“This escalation over the last 48 hours follows 15 homicides during the four days preceding it, from Monday, December 23, 2024, to Thursday, December 26, 2024,” he said.
He agreed with comments made moments earlier by acting Attorney General Stuart Young regarding the challenges faced in terms of reprisals.
“The police are interpreting all of this as a virtual outbreak of gang violence affecting and traumatising the entire society. We receive feedback from the public, through the media and directly, very often, and from all agencies about the trauma and fear that society is experiencing,” he said.
He mentioned that as of December 26, there had been 551 incidents (murders) with 614 victims, 93 of which incidents involved multiple victims.
“In particular, during that period, there were 33 double homicides, eight triple homicides, four quadruple homicides and one quintuple homicide,” he said.
He noted that these murders were connected to the types of weapons and ammunition used.
“A lot of it is related to gangs, having nothing to do with you and me, but we are traumatised by it as a society. In many cases, we are innocent bystanders, victims of it,” he added.
In addition to the murders, there have been 616 incidents of wounding and shootings, resulting in 713 victims (survivors).
Hinds added: “There is no doubt in my mind that we are dealing with an epidemic, and this is why we are treating this as a public health concern. We at the Ministry of National Security are making our contribution to the deliberations that transpired over the last few hours, leading to the declaration of a public emergency. We consider this to be a very necessary and useful development.”
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