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CCNTV6
  • 11 months ago

2024 shall end and 2025 shall begin with a State of Emergency in effect in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Acting Attorney General and the National Security Minister announced that it is aimed at those using high-powered weapons to commmit murders in this country.

But what restrictions shall apply in this S-o-E?

Juhel Browne was at the media conference.
Transcript
00:00Acting Attorney General Stuart Young announced that unlike the state of
00:04emergencies that occurred following the 1990 coup attempt and the SOE that took
00:09place in 2011, the SOE declared on Monday will not seek to affect public
00:15meetings and public gatherings. There is not going to be any curfew. That decision
00:22is because the targeting of this national public state of emergency is on
00:28those who engage in criminal activity with criminal intent of endangering the
00:34public safety through the use of these illegal firearms both high-velocity as
00:41well as illegal handguns and the other likes. Seated next to the acting AG was
00:47National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hines. This is a welcome development for
00:51National Security. I can tell you that operations are underway. I am aware out
01:00of those operations that persons who are known to the police and the focus of
01:11police attention are being engaged by the police and the defense force. The SOE
01:21was declared one day before the end of this year 2024. The acting AG said there
01:26had been 61 homicides for the month of December and approximately 623
01:32homicides for the year at the time of the media conference. However, the focus
01:38of homicides and this murder rate is not the main reason why the decision was
01:46taken to call this state of emergency. The acting Attorney General spoke about
01:50intelligence provided to the National Security Council concerning the murder
01:55of one man outside the Bessel Street police station on Saturday and the
01:59murders of five people in one part of Laventille on Sunday. So in a nutshell
02:03what we were faced with is a decision being provided with the information by
02:09the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service that there was going to be heightened
02:14criminal activity with the use of expected use of high-powered caliber
02:20high-velocity assault weapons in reprisal attacks between gangs. TV6 News
02:30sought clarification from the ministers at the media conference about what the
02:34government expects and what the nation can expect with regard to results from
02:39this particular state of emergency. To be considered a success by the government
02:44for example that there would be large seizures of illegal firearms and
02:49ammunition. The police have been doing seizures yes but in terms of large...
02:54For either of us to respond to that question would be a
03:02definition jeopardizing any hopes of success. The National Security Council is
03:08chaired by the Prime Minister. The Acting AG said there will be a sitting
03:12of Parliament within the required a 15-day period under the Constitution to
03:17ratify the state of emergency for three months but the aggregation cannot extend
03:22beyond six months. The Acting AG said the regulations for the SOE are to be
03:27published. Jule Brown, TV6 News
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