PORT OF SPAIN – Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has announced a limited state of emergency and curfew in ‘hotspots’ in Trinidad and Tobago to deal with escalating crime. The measure takes effect at midnight. Details of the ‘hotspots’ and times of the curfew will be disclosed on Monday by the Minister of National Security, Brigadier John Sandy.
Speaking at a press conference just before 8 pm on Sunday at her private residence in Phillipines, the Prime Minister said “after much deliberation it has been agreed that Government will impose a limited state of emergency in hot spots across the country”.
She said the proclamation giving effect to the decision was on its way to His Excellency the President for signing. The proclamation will be accompanied by the Emergency Powers Regulations which sets out more details of the limited state of emergency and the Emergency Curfew Order which will be put into place to allow for curfews in certain areas at various times.
The decision followed her meeting with the National Security Council and a special Cabinet meeting which lasted several hours and was expected to continue following the press conference.
She said the limited state of emergency will help government to “achieve a number of things” which she felt would not be prudent to disclose.
The Prime Minister said ‘there comes a time in the history of a nation when we have to take very strong action; very decisive action”.
She said until the recent upsurge in murders, the nation was “encouraged” by the statistics which showed a decrease in crime. But she pointed out that “a problem of this nature has been due to years of neglect and will not disappear overnight”.
“The current crime spree dictates that more must be done and stronger action must be deplored now…it must be a response that will hold the current spike in gang activity and crime in general in the shortest possible time.”
The Prime Minister was optimistic about the new measure.
“We will succeed. Our nation must not be held to ransom by marauding groups of thugs bent on creating havoc on our society.”
She promised, “we will hunt them down and we will search them out and bring them to justice.”
She said the limited state of emergency pursuant to Section 8 (1) and Section 8 (2) of the Constitution was part of a “larger aggressive plan using both police and the military”.
She called on citizens “to bear with the inconveniences that may arise from time to time” pointing out it “is in everyone’s interest”.
Persad-Bissessar said nothing was more important to ensure a life of peace and tranquility.
She noted that while the Constitution gave rights and freedoms, it also provided for measures like a state of emergency.
She said it was not an easy decision to trigger Section 8 of the Constitution but the greatest protection had to be given to citizens.
She explained that the limited state of emergency will give military personnel powers to search and seize and powers of arrest and would augment the manpower of the police service.
Addressing concerns that the criminals might “migrate to cold spots” the Prime Minister reassured that “we have mechanisms to deal with that migration”.
In terms of the time frame for the limited state of emergency, she explained that the law provided for the measure to last up to 15 days, and further extensions must be taken to the House of Representatives. She said the measure would be reviewed daily based on how and what is achieved.
Noting that the Leader of the Opposition Dr. Keith Rowley had indicated his willingness to meet with Government to discuss the crime level, the Prime Minister said she will “certainly entertain discussions” on legislative measures, as it related to the failed Capital Punishment Bill and the establishment of a Gun Court as well as the limited state of emergency.
