Trinidad and Tobago to introduce Zones of Special Operations to reduce crime

The Trinidad and Tobago government has signaled its intention to introduce Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs), following the example of Jamaica, as the country seeks to maintain the reduction in violent crime achieved under the current State of Emergency (SoE), set to expire on January 31, 2026.

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Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, January 14, at the headquarters of the ruling United National Congress (UNC), Attorney General John Jeremie said the government plans to advance legislation targeting high-crime “hot spots” without imposing a national SoE.

“We intend to lock in those advantages which have yielded tremendous results in terms of the drop in homicides, the drop in wounding and the drop in general crime, generally,” Jeremie told reporters.

“Our first attempt to do that is with the zones legislation.”

Jeremie explained that the proposed ZOSO framework will focus security measures on specific areas while incorporating checks and controls, judicial oversight, and time constraints on the designation of zones.

“The legislation which is before the House is intended to ensure that there is a measure of proportionality between our responses and the threats which we now face. So that instead of a national State of Emergency, we propose to concentrate on hot spots,” he added.

Trinidad and Tobago recorded 369 murders in 2025, a 42 per cent decline from 626 in 2024, marking the country’s lowest murder rate since 2014. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) also reported declines in other serious crimes: violent crime down 15 per cent, larceny of motor vehicles down 21 per cent, and fatal road traffic accidents down 22 per cent.

Under SoE powers, the TTPS executed 12,574 operations, targeting 3,723 priority offenders, conducting over 82,000 searches, seizing 673 illegal firearms, and confiscating more than three tonnes of marijuana. Detection rates for murders rose from 15 per cent to 20 per cent, and overall detection for serious crimes increased from 29 per cent to 36 per cent.

The proposed ZOSO legislation aims to maintain these gains while providing a more targeted and proportionate approach to crime prevention, Jeremie said.