(Image: Google Maps – Areas in which the curfew was imposed under the terms of the State of Emergency)
On 07 November 2011, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, announced that the government was lifting a night-time curfew which accompanied the limited State of Emergency (SOE) implemented in the country on 21 August 2011, in response to high rates of violent crime. While the SOE period has seen a demonstrable decrease in the rates of crime, it is arguably the case that the current action will not precipitate a sustainable improvement in the security situation without the implementation of a long term strategy on crime prevention.
Violent crime largely stems from gang activity which has evolved rapidly as Trinidad and Tobago, like other nations in the region, has increasingly become a major trans-shipment point for cocaine, and as a result the islands have become riddled with drug and gang-related violence. Observers have noted the presence of more than 100 criminal gangs in the country, and the resulting high levels of violent crime have overwhelmed the courts and fuelled much of the corruption that is widely considered to be endemic among the police. Levels of violent crime tend to be higher on the island of Trinidad than Tobago, reflecting the fact that majority of illicit goods are handled there. There are frequent reports of criminals armed with AK-47s and Uzis, shotguns and semi-automatic pistols. The murder rate in 2010 was thirty-six per 100,000, a figure seven times higher than that of the US and thirty times higher than that of the UK. The police service of Trinidad and Tobago helpfully discloses a full account of all reported crimes http://www.ttps.gov.tt/Statistics/tabid/141/Default.aspx (in particular, check out the second tab “Crimes Reported Charts”).
The SOE grants the police exceptional powers to make arrests without charge and to conduct searches without warrants, and saw a curfew put in place in seventeen areas of Trinidad deemed “crime hotspots”. (These originally included the areas of: The City of Port of Spain; The City of San Fernando; The Borough of Arima; The Borough of Chaguanas; Diego Martin Regional Corporation, and San Juan/Laventille Regional District, but on 04 September 2011, was extended to include the following electoral districts: Carli Bay; Maloney; Moruga; Cedros; Claxton Bay; Toco; Dow Village, California; La Horquetta; Windy Hill, Arouca; McBean in Couva, and Chase Village, Carapichaima. It is important to note that these areas represent those where there is the highest risk to travellers in country). The government has praised the SOE for significantly lowering rates of violent crime in the country, with just thirty-five murders registered between August and November 2011, representing a fall of 60% in homicide rates compared to the same period in 2010, while incidents other crimes, including house robberies and car jackings are reported to have reduced significantly. During this period the authorities seized more marijuana and ammunition than in all of 2010. (A thorough breakdown on the decreased rate of crime which has coincided with the SOE can be found by following the link to the police website listed above).
In the face of the apparent success of the SOE in lowering the rate of crime and coupled with growing opposition from local businesses (in particular nightclubs and bars) the government has chosen to lift the curfew. Despite this however, the SOE remains in place, and is unlikely to be lifted before it is officially scheduled to end on 05 December 2011, and what is more, on 06 October 2011, Persad-Bissessar stated that the SOE is constantly under review, and will be in place “until security agencies advise otherwise”, suggesting it may yet be extended further. However, while the SOE may have led to a short term decrease in the rate of crime in the country, there are credible concerns over the effectiveness of using the SOE to improve the long term security situation. Arguably, without the implementation of a comprehensive policy for crime reduction, there will be no lasting improvement in security situation. In addition to this, even if such a policy were to be implemented, and if the country were to seek to tighten its borders, it is arguably the case that without a regional approach to tackling drug trafficking organisations, Trinidad and Tobago will struggle to limit the influx of narcotics and the corresponding gang activity.
In addition to this, with accusations that the additional police powers granted by the SOE have led to misconduct by some officers, the SOE’s legacy may in fact be to undermine the population’s trust in the authorities and willingness to cooperate, thus serving to exacerbate the country’s problems.
NOTE FOR TRAVELLERS
While the majority of victims of violent crime in the country are members of the local population, there have been numerous cases of foreigners being robbed at gunpoint, sexually assaulted and even murdered. The majority of gang activity takes place in low-income urban areas, to which foreigners are strongly advised not to travel. The list of areas in which the curfew was imposed provides a useful guide to the most “at risk” locations. However, travellers should be advised that even outside of these areas no area should be considered immune to the risk of crime. The most significant threat to travellers is opportunistic crime such as pickpocketing, armed robbery, car theft and aggressive begging.
- Travellers are advised to maintain a low profile using simple security awareness protocols. Due to the high levels of gratuitous violence which often accompanies crimes, travellers are strongly advised that, should they find themselves a victim, they should acquiesce to the demands of the criminal or else face almost certain injury, or even death.
- Please note that holiday periods, especially Christmas and Carnival, often bring a significant increase in criminal activity.
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