According to the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, Prime Minister Keith Rowley advised President Christine Carla Kangaloo to issue the declaration as crime rates worsened.

“Now, therefore, I, Christine Carla Kangaloo, President as aforesaid, in pursuance of the powers conferred upon me by section 8(1) of the Constitution hereby declare that: I am satisfied that a public emergency has risen as a result of the occurrence of action that has been taken, or is immediately threatened, by any person, of such a nature and on so extensive a scale, as to be likely to endanger the public safety; and a state of public emergency exists in TT,” the proclamation reads.

The dual-island republic has a population of about 1.5 million people but has one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 622 murders occurring this year.

Five men were killed on Sunday

On Sunday, five men were shot and killed in Laventille, a suburb in the Port of Spain of Trinidad and Tobago. Police believe the killings were retaliation after a well-known gang member was killed the previous day. A man was killed outside of a police station Saturday, and a 57-year-old woman was gunned down Friday as she picked up her teen son from a local hospital, the BBC and The Guardian reported.

Under the emergency declaration, police and the army will detain individuals without charge and search homes without warrants.

‘It’s not about culling the homicide rate’

Attorney General Stuart Young stated in a press conference that there were “limited assurances” for the public as concerns over violence and murder continue to grow across the twin-island nation.

“What we are faced with was heightened criminal activity with the use of high-velocity assault weapons in reprisal attacks between gangs,” Young said, per The Guardian.

He continued, “It’s not about culling the homicide rate, it’s about expecting brazen acts which are going to endanger the public.”