NOTWITHSTANDING separate press conferences by Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro and Attorney General John Jeremie, as well as a full statement by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Opposition PNM is demanding "transparency, accountability and leadership" in the handling of the state of emergency (SoE).

In a statement posted to its FB page around 2 pm on July 18, the PNM said that it "like all law-abiding" citizens remains deeply alarmed at the unacceptable levels of serious crime across the country.

The PNM said that apart from a press conference (at 8.30 am) by CoP Guevarro, and up to 11 am on Friday, there was no official statement from either Persad-Bissessar, the AG, the Minister of Homeland Security or the Minister of Justice.