Trinidad curfew lifted but state of emergency remains
Wednesday November 09 2011 | 02:42 PM

The prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has lifted the curfew on land and sea with immediate effect, but the state of emergency remains in effect.

After a meeting with the National Security Council, Persad-Bissessar declared the state of emergency a success, citing statistics that spoke to major reductions in criminal activity over the period, increased confidence in the protective services and greater participation by the community in the fight against crime.

According to the prime minister, the state of emergency has ‘saved our nation’ and brought about a greater sense of safety. Declaring the battle “has been won”, she said that the state of emergency substantially reduced criminal activity, disturbed the drug cycle, strengthened intelligence gathering capabilities of the protective services and improved joint army/police forces.

Persad-Bissessar reiterated, however, that the state of emergency remained and that the government reserved the right to impose a limited curfew if so advised by the National Security Council. She indicated that the government would be improving its monitoring and surveillance capability and capacity as well as embarking on several social projects including an employment generating initiative to generate over 20 000 jobs in low income communities.

The prime minister urged the citizens to be respectful of the law and thanked the many arms of the protective services; the Police, Defence Force and the Customs and Excise departments for their commitment to protecting the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. She praised the members of the medical profession, judiciary, emergency services as well as the business community for their patience and creativity during the period.