One month into the state of emergency has seen a total of 70 guns seized, nearly 1,500 rounds of ammunition and 12 fewer murders for January.
On average, police seize about 700 illegal guns a year, about 60 a month, without any additional powers of a state of emergency (SoE).
On December 30, last year the SoE was declared based on information to suppress gang violence following a brazen gun attack outside the Besson Street Police Station where a suspected gang leader was targeted and an alleged retaliatory shooting where five people were shot dead in Laventille.
On January 13, Parliament approved the extension of the SoE for three months but many people, including members of the UNC, have questioned the effectiveness and success of the greatest weapon used so far in the fight against spiralling crime under the PNM.
Under the emergency powers regulations 2024, which covers the ongoing SoE, the National Security Minister has ordered the detention of five people, without bail, based on credible information that they are involved in serious crime and gang activity.
They are Kevon Bocage, Jonathan Caleb Jay Bushell, also known as Froggy, Ezekiel Morris, also called Easy, Carlvin Lee, also called Tyson and Joshua Roberts, also called Jaffa.
DCP Junior Benjamin, speaking at a police press briefing on January 31 at the Police Administration Building, Port of Spain, said during the SoE police did 1,813 operations, leading to the arrest of 1,423 people but did not say how many were charged with serious offences.
In addition to 160 kilogrammes of marijuana, an undisclosed quantity of cocaine, and traffic offences, which include breaches of the tint laws, there have been numerous roadblocks across the country.
Discussing violent crimes, Benjamin said there were 32 murders in January, a reduction compared to the 44 during the same period in 2024.
In 2023, there were 61 murders for January.
Benjamin shared that wounding and shootings saw a drop, with 27 reported this year, compared to 57 last year.
Similarly, sexual offences decreased from 91 to 32, and kidnappings dropped from 11 to seven.
He boasted there were no kidnappings for ransom, marking an improvement over the previous year. In the case of Shashi Anand Persad, who was kidnapped on November 21 and remains missing, one suspect, Kareem Rodriguez, was charged and appeared in court on January 27.
There was also a reduction in the number of robberies from 239 to 93, for the month of January.
Benjamin attributed the decline to focused efforts targeting gang-related activities and homicides, reporting a decrease of at least 50 per cent in gang-related murders.
Putting a brick to stop a flood
Clinical psychologist Victoria Siewnarine-Geelalsingh commended the government for its handling of the SoE and explaining its intentions, which she believes has alleviated initial anxiety.
She said some people may have developed unrealistic expectations about what would change/improve and stressed the spiralling crime did not happen overnight.
She said
