The government of Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency after a weekend of violence in the twin-island Caribbean nation saw the number of murders rise to 623 this year.

Five men were shot dead overnight at a property on the outskirts of the capital Port of Spain, a man was killed outside a police station on Saturday and a 57-year-old woman was shot dead on Friday as she picked up her teenage son from hospital in San Fernando.

With a population of 1.5 million, this unprecedented number makes Trinidad and Tobago one of the most violent countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024.

Under emergency powers announced by Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s office, the police and army have broad powers to detain people without charge and search property without a search warrant.

In a statement, Rowley said he was disappointed by the murder tally for 2024 and called on police to use their new powers to make life “uncomfortable” for criminals.

At a news conference in Port of Spain where Rowley’s absence was criticized by local media, Attorney-General Stuart Young said no public curfew would be imposed at this time.

Young said the measures were introduced as a result of a week of “brazen acts” by criminals in the country and there was an expectation of a wave of retaliatory attacks on a scale “so large as to endanger public safety”.

He said there were “limited assurances” he could give a concerned public, adding: “We are facing increased criminal activity through the use of high-velocity assault weapons in retaliatory attacks between gangs.”

“It’s not about curbing the murder rate, it’s about tackling brazen acts that endanger the public,” he said, although he admitted crime rates had skyrocketed in the last decade of the administration.

The president, Christine Kangaloo, said in a proclamation: “I am satisfied that a public emergency has arisen as a result of the occurrence of an action taken or imminently threatened by any person of this nature and on such a far-reaching scale.” endangering public safety.”

According to police, an estimated 42.6% of murders are gang-related and almost all are linked to organized crime.

The most recent state of emergency was declared in Trinidad and Tobago in 2021 to allow restrictions during the Covid pandemic.