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For the third time since the start of 2025, a State of Emergency has been declared in Trinidad and Tobago, as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar “had no choice” according to Attorney General John Jeremie.

In his news conference, flanked by Homeland Security Roger Alexander and Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj, Jeremie recalled the previous State of Emergency instituted by the government in July 2025, shortly after being elected into office. Between July last year and January, he said, police and armed forces had eliminated threats and made “significant headway in dismantling organized criminal networks.”

He acknowledged that during this period of curtailed constitutional rights, the rate of murder and serious crimes decreased significantly. The government has previously boasted of the “largest ever decline in murder”, by 42% last year alone, during this period.