Trinidad’s crime rate has become so bad that its government is considering taking drastic measures to find a solution to the use of firearms.
Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is so concerned with the crime situation he said the time has come to declare violence a public health emergency.
Rowley said: “Every single day there is a spate of violent crime largely driven by, but not only driven by firearms, and defying logic ... It is something we are going to focus on more.
“I think in Trinidad and Tobago the time has come for us to declare violence as a public health emergency and we need to find solutions to treating with violence in our population.”
He said the government had been considering the move prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. He could not immediately provide a timeline or details on the proposed measure.
“I just raised it as a matter that we have to focus on, it’s a specialist area, and it involves the entire national community seeing it that way. I don’t think we are ready for the timeline yet,” Rowley added.
A total of 13 killings happened on Friday and Saturday, four of which were said to be police-involved shootings, saw law enforcement officials having to work late into the night on Saturday as multiple investigations got underway. At least 12 of the killings were gun-related.
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