HAVING received information on July 17 that organised criminal gangs, both within the prison system and outside, were actively planning to carry out murders, robberies, and kidnappings, Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro immediately sprang into action, and asked the government to call a state of emergency (SoE).

At an emergency press briefing on July 18 at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain, Guevarro recalled that when he received the information, it was troubling to him.

He added that he approached the National Security Council later that night and held a briefing with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the Attorney General and a recommendation was made "with a heavy heart" to accede to his request for a SoE to address the threat.