President Christine Kangaloo has signed a proclamation dated July 18 declaring a State of Emergency (SoE) in Trinidad and Tobago.
The President has also signed the Regulations governing the SoE.
There will be no curfew under this State of Emergency.
This move follows a recommendation by Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro, according to a release issued by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
The release stated that recent intelligence has confirmed the emergence of a “coordinated and highly dangerous criminal network operating from within Trinidad and Tobago’s correctional facilities.”
It noted that this network is actively mobilising resources and orchestrating targeted attacks against senior officials and national institutions.
In response to the severity and immediacy of this threat, the Commissioner of Police has formally recommended to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago the declaration of a State of Emergency.
“The intelligence reveals that incarcerated individuals are actively leveraging internal and external networks to plan and execute attacks on key figures within the national security and justice sectors. These efforts are not isolated but represent a structured campaign involving multiple criminal entities whose targets include senior police officers, members of the judiciary, personnel within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service. Additional intelligence continues to be gathered through inter-agency collaboration,” stated the release.
The TTPS noted that a critical enabler of this threat has been the unauthorised trafficking of cellular devices into prison facilities by compromised personnel.
These devices have facilitated encrypted communications and real-time coordination between incarcerated individuals and external criminal operatives.
“The funding for these operations is derived from a range of violent, as well as organised criminal activities, including high-value robberies, armed home invasions, extortion, kidnapping, and the infiltration of state-funded contracts and programmes,” stated the release.
“The scale, coordination, and internal facilitation of these activities indicate an operational capability that exceeds the containment capacity of conventional law enforcement measures. As such, a comprehensive and immediate strategic response was required to safeguard national stability and protect public officials and institutions,” it added.
The TTPS stated that the foremost objective of the State of Emergency is to empower law enforcement agencies to initiate rapid containment actions, enhance inter-agency coordination, and deploy additional resources with the necessary authority to neutralise the threat.
To operationalise the response, a high-level Threat Response Group—drawn from various arms of law enforcement—has been established with a specific mandate to address this threat and its perpetrators. An emergency briefing was given to the Prime Minister and Attorney General last night (17 July 2025), and immediate steps were taken to enact containment measures, including the strategic removal and relocation of key incarcerated individuals, in order to disrupt command structures and prevent further coordination.
Additionally, law enforcement units have already begun targeted overt and covert operations, which shall continue until the threat is neutralised.
The release stated that the TTPS remains resolute in its commitment to protecting the nation’s democratic institutions and the safety of its citizens. These extraordinary measures are deemed necessary to preserve public order, restore confidence in the national security framework, and ensure the continued stability of the country.
Citizens are urged to remain calm, cooperate with law enforcement directives, and report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities.
At a press conference on Friday, police commissioner Allister Guevarro said: “They were planning, actively so, to carry out assassinations, robberies, and kidnappings.”
He said the intelligence report prompted him to recommend that newly elected Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar declare the emergency. He noted there were no particular threats to any politicians.
It’s the second state of emergency declared in Trinidad and Tobago in a year – authorities cited concerns about gang violence in that declaration, which lasted from December to April.
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