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  • 6 months ago
Trinidad and Tobago is once again under a State of Emergency — but this time, authorities say the threat is far more organized and dangerous.

Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro says a criminal network involving prison inmates, their outside accomplices, and even compromised insiders has been plotting a wave of attacks.

The TTPS moved swiftly overnight following the President's approval of emergency powers.

Alexander Bruzual begins our coverage.

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Transcript
00:00Earlier this morning, Commissioner of Police Alistair Guevaro gave the reasoning behind the state of emergency, which was announced today.
00:07He stated that the police had received credible information of threats coming from correctional facilities within this country.
00:14As a result, as of 12.05 a.m. today, the police had enacted several operations,
00:18which included moving several high-risk prisoners from the maximum security prison in Aruko.
00:23In a press briefing today, Police Commissioner Alistair Guevaro outlined what he described as a grave and imminent threat to national security,
00:32a plot by what he calls an organized crime syndicate made up of inmates, corrupt insiders, and criminals on the outside
00:40who have been plotting assassinations, kidnappings, and robberies, prompting him to request emergency powers from the government.
00:49Yesterday afternoon, I would have received intelligence reports whereby organized criminal gangs
00:58with persons inside of the prisons and persons operating on the outside of the prisons
01:06have formed themselves into what I would want to term an organized crime syndicate
01:12and that they were planning, actively so, to carry out assassinations, robberies, and kidnappings.
01:22The commissioner said he took his concerns to the National Security Council,
01:27then personally briefed the prime minister and attorney general, who agreed to his request for a state of emergency.
01:34The president signed the proclamation last night.
01:36And this recommendation was made with a heavy heart to ask the prime minister and the attorney general
01:45to accede to my request to have a state of emergency placed on Trinidad and Tobago,
01:52and particular emergency powers placed in the hands of law enforcement to treat with the threat.
01:58Guevaro received the proclamation signed by President Christine Kangaloo at about 12.02 a.m. today.
02:05Within three minutes, he said, the TTPS had already began several operations throughout this country.
02:12Guevaro said he personally oversaw the transfer of suspected gang leaders out of the maximum security prison in Aruka
02:20to a more secure facility, cutting off their ability to coordinate attacks.
02:26He made it clear this state of emergency is unrelated to any political threat
02:31or the previous SOE called to address gang violence.
02:36The last SOE, as you said, was held to deal with gang violence.
02:41This particular SOE is being held to deal with a particular threat,
02:45even though it involves persons who have formed themselves into an organized crime syndicate,
02:50or I don't want to use the word gang, because it's bigger than a gang when you look at different entities coming together.
02:55I do not wish to say that it have any, because it's something totally different.
03:01According to Guevaro, the syndicate funds its operations through kidnappings,
03:07home invasions, extortions, and even infiltrating state contracts,
03:12using the proceeds to stockpile weapons and tighten their grip.
03:16Alexander Bruiswall, TV6 News.
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