Tobago record 9 murders in 2024 so far, citizens express concerns

Trinidad and Tobago: Tobago has recorded nine murders in 2024 as of now, causing several concerns among citizens.

Citizens are saying that the country has become very unsafe with one of them saying, “Just imagine in this country, you can’t wear a flicking gold chain in peace, you can’t have a nice house, you can’t have a nice car without being at risk from being killed by some idiot that wants to get everything the easy way.”

Another citizen named Owen said, “This is a normal thing in Trinidad; murders, robbery, kidnapping, and extortion are part of Trinidad that the Heads and government implemented, so we just have to live with that and hush.”

During last week’s sitting of the House of Representatives, Member of Parliament for Couva South Rudranath Indarsingh asked Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley what is being done about the island’s surging homicide toll and how it is affecting its tourism industry.

It is reported that the Prime Minister shared that police officers, along with the Minister of National Security, met with the Chief Secretary and his team, holding discussions focused on tackling crime on the island.

They discussed borders and the prevalence of firearms in Tobago and also shed light on the solutions while stating that the issue of additional boots on the ground also arose as a solution and an initial response to this upsurge in violent crime.

Moreover, the Prime Minister said meetings were held with the Tobago Business Chamber, where several initiatives were discussed.

He noted that some of the initiatives were agreed upon, and some were already in effect. The police have since increased their visibility, with patrols and exercises targeting drug blocks and priority offenders.

The police adopted a zero-tolerance approach and also now focus on raids and searches aimed at recovering illegal firearms.

Dr Rowley noted that so far, two illegal pistols have been recovered. Furthermore, he shared that last Thursday, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Force conducted walkabouts in several hotspots on the island, Scarborough and Wim, and a public awareness campaign in Tobago.

The police officers continue engaging the tourism and business stakeholders with a view to having further discussions about managing and treating with the crime situation on the island.

The Prime Minister also shared that the Minister of National Security met with the Chief Secretary and continued discussions on the subject.

As homicides continue to rise in Tobago, the administration is taking all possible measures to handle and curb the situation.