BREAKING: State of Emergency declared in Trinidad, 2nd time in six months

Trinidad and Tobago: In a shocking development, the government of Trinidad and Tobago has officially declared a state of emergency effective immediately from today (July 18, 2025). This comes after they confirmed that a coordinated and dangerous criminal network is operating from inside the prison system of the country. 

The development was confirmed by President Christine Carla Kangaloo ORTT through an official press release earlier today.  

Second State of Emergency Declared in Six Months 

This state of emergency marks the 2nd time that it has been declared within a span of six months, showcasing the rising state of crime in the twin island nation. Last time, the former government declared the SOE on December 30, 2025, after a series of killings held throughout the month of December.  

The previous SOE was in place for a total of 105 days and was removed on April 13, 2025. However, even after months of emergency being declared, the country did not see any significant change in the crime statistics. 

Within three months of the emergency being lifted, the government had to declare it again amid the national security threat.  

Police Intelligence Reveals Active Prison-Based Criminal Network 

It is reported that a criminal network is actively mobilizing resources and orchestrating targeted attacks against national institutions and senior officials. In response to the seriousness of this threat, the Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro recommended the government to declare the SOE. 

The intelligence disclosed that the incarcerated individuals leveraging internal as well as external networks actively to plan and execute major attacks on key figures within the justice and national security sectors.  

Illegal Phones Enable Attacks from Inside Trinidad Prisons 

A major enabler of the threat has been the illegal trafficking of phones into prisons by a few insiders which has allowed encrypted communications between outside operations and inmates. The funding for these highly criminalised opertations has allegedly come from a range of violent and organised crimes which includes high level robberies, kidnaping, home invasions, extortion along with the exploitation of state-funded programmes and contracts.  

The State of Emergency as of now means there will be immediate increase in the presence of police across the island nation along with increased patrols and operational activities especially within the Northern Division.  

As of now, the authorities said that there is no need for curfew and in order to operationalize the response, a high-level Threat Response Group from various arms of law enforcement has been established to treat with this threat and its actors.