Multiple bomb threats were recorded across Trinidad and Tobago yesterday, adding to the seven reported last week.Following the first seven threats, which took place last Wednesday, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) heightened security at police stations across the country.Last week, the locations identified by police were the Arima, Princes Town, Chaguanas, Siparia and Sangre Grande magistrates’ courts; Kent House, which houses the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government; a location in San Fernando; and Valpark Shopping Plaza, Valsayn.The TTPS said it immediately activated its security protocols, “increased its security posture and deployed officers to conduct checks at the affected locations”.Yesterday, the TTPS said it was aware of reports of bomb threats received at multiple locations.The Forestry Division on Long Circular Road and the Kapok Hotel were identified.The TTPS said officers of the Explosive Detection and Disposal Unit (EDDU), supported by officers from the respective police stations and Criminal Investigations Department, responded to the reports and conducted checks at the affected locations.At the Forestry Division, EDDU officers conducted a walk-through of the facility with staff. The checks were completed and the building was deemed safe, with no suspicious items found.A similar response was undertaken at the Kapok Hotel, where EDDU officers conducted checks and a walk-through of the facility with staff. No suspicious items were found and the premises were deemed safe.The TTPS said it was continuing to assess the reports and conduct enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the threats.Members of the public were urged to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information, and refrain from sharing material that may cause unnecessary alarm or panic.Anyone with information that may assist the police was encouraged to contact the nearest police station.The TTPS said it remained committed to safeguarding the public and would provide further information as it becomes available.Praise for policePressed for a comment on the bomb threats over the past few days, Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander, during a back-to-school drive at his Tunapuna constituency office, said the police were doing a remarkable job on the matter.“It is important for us to have intelligence agencies supported by our colleagues on the outside,” Alexander said, adding that the TTPS was being assisted by various embassies and allies, “and now they are participating in the fight against crime”.The Sunday Express contacted the Kapok Hotel regarding yesterday’s bomb threat, but the operator declined to comment, saying she was unauthorised to discuss the incident. She advised the Sunday Express to follow up with a manager on a weekday.State of emergencyAddressing the September 17 end of the ongoing state of emergency (SoE), Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj, who was also at the back-to-school drive in Tunapuna yesterday, said the Government had not yet decided on extending the SoE. He however declared that the current SoE had been a success.Maharaj pointed out that the Government must first analyse the latest crime data before the matter reaches Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the National Security Council (NSC) for consideration.“It will be premature of me at this stage to say what will happen,” Maharaj said during a news conference.The current SoE is scheduled to end on September 17.Maharaj was responding to questions about the effectiveness of the emergency measures amid the country’s murder toll, which stood at 235 up to last night.Four murders were confirmed overnight—two in Fyzabad and two in Arima. The corresponding number of murders for last year was 240.Despite the latest killings, Maharaj maintained that the SoE had contributed to a reduction in crime.He said the Government was comparing the current figures with those from 2024 and pointed to police statistics showing declines in both murder and serious crime rates.In 2024, T&T recorded its highest-ever number of murders at 626, surpassing the 605 recorded in 2022.“The SoE has been a success. The murder rate and serious crime rate are down by police statistics,” he added.Alexander, meanwhile, said the murder figures should be examined according to the circumstances surrounding each killing.He said distinctions should be made between gang-related murders and domestic incidents when assessing whether threats to society were easing.Alexander said some killings were matters that law enforcement could address, while others stemmed from circumstances within homes and personal relationships.The comments come as the Government approaches a decision on the SoE, which has given law enforcement additional powers to tackle crime.Maharaj said the Government would take further action as new developments emerged, but stopped short of indicating whether another SoE would be considered.When contacted to ask whether the Government could constitutionally call another SoE within a few days of September 17, People’s National Movement (PNM) chairman Marvin Gonzales said it could.“It will be an abuse of the Constitution because that was never intended by the framers of the Constitution, but nothing prevents them from doing it,” Gonzales said.
Bomb threats rise as SoE end looms
Multiple bomb threats were recorded across Trinidad and Tobago yesterday, adding to the seven reported last week.Following the first seven threats, which took place last Wednesday, the Trinidad and Tobago
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