Experts say the current murder and crime rates have made the general population feel they could become victims at any time, causing fear and threatening the stability of the country.
Up to Saturday afternoon, the murder toll was 529 equalling TT’s record in 2008. The figure up to November, 2021 was 322.
Speaking with Sunday Newsday, criminologist Daurius Figueira said if the number of murders in November and December were on par with October, TT would cross 600 murders this year. However, he said the current “murder spree” really began in 2017.
“The reason for it is the same reason for the increased murder rates in 2017, 2018 and 2019, so it’s a continuation. It took a break in 2020 because of the pandemic, but in 2021 it started back and then exploded in 2022. That reason is a war between two different models of trans-national organised crime that is going on in TT.”
He said Colombians traditionally dominated the drug trade in TT, but Mexicans “moved in and knocked them over.” He believed it was the retaliation by the Colombian-controlled group that caused the war.
[caption id="attachment_985389" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Police officers visit the area where Jomol Modest lived in Enterprise, Chaguanas on October 16. The nine-year-old got shot and killed when gunmen fired at residents, including at children playing on African Grounds on October 15. - AYANNA KINSALE[/caption]
He said the Mexican affiliates in TT were all from “gang lands” or areas controlled by gangs. These areas were not necessarily “hot spots” as some of the areas, spread all over TT, were “quiet.” Most of those connected to the Colombians were also affiliated with gangs, but some were not.
Nevertheless, most “top-tier” gangs were local operatives of the cartels, and the foot soldiers were generally the ones being killed.
Figueira said what made the war especially bloody was the importation of assault rifles, which were being bought from the US as the price of automatic weapons in South America was much higher. One of the more popular assault rifles was the AR15s, which made multiple homicides possible in one attack.
“The next thing that has sent the murder rate escalating, is the way in which this war is being fought, where you have those who don’t care who they kill in order to get at a target.
“Then, you have people going around killing people who have no connection to the war. What they are doing is destabilising the society with gun violence.”
He said, in the latter instance, the gangs were choosing situations and occasions to open fire on people. He said it was an old Colombian technique to spread fear amongst the population and promote their political agenda.
“If only one type of people, say gangsters, were getting killed, no one would be raving for a solution. But when you start to shoot little children, shoot up football fields with people, and others who have nothing to do with gangs, wouldn’t that create pure fear and unrest? It is to imp
