By Staff Writer
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Jun 8, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government Sunday said that the state of emergency (SoE), which is due to expire on June 17, will be further extended for three months.
The current SoE came into effect from March 3 this year. The government enjoys a 28-13 majority in the Parliament.
A statement issued by the Office of the Attorney General said that the National Security Council (NSC) met on Friday night, where it received and reviewed reports on the states of emergency implemented between December 2024 and May 2026.
“The report highlighted analyses of datasets related to all significant local and international threats to state security. The reports revealed that all three SoEs were associated with meaningful disruptions in all categories of datasets reviewed and analyzed,” the statement said.
It said after examining the reports and advice from members of the NSC, “the Prime Minister has decided that the government will go to Parliament to request an extension of the State of Emergency for a further three months.”
The statement said that a resolution to extend the SoE will be debated in Parliament on Wednesday.
Last Friday, Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro said any decision on extending the current SoE rests with the government, which had earlier said: “lawlessness and disorder must never be tolerated”.
Guevarro, speaking to reporters in Tobago, said that based on the data collected so far, “we are seeing some positive results” in the fight against crime.
‘I announced a couple of weeks ago that we have seen a reduction in all of the divisions of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, and Tobago was one of them,” he said.
But when pressed as to whether or not the SoE, which is due to expire at midnight on June 17, the top cop replied: “That decision is not up to the Trinidad and Tobago Police”.
Last week, the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) said it is prepared to file a constitutional motion in the courts should the Persad-Bissessar government move towards extending the SoE.
In March, the government defended the imposition of yet another SoE less than two months after a more than year-long similar measure had been lifted.
Opposition Leader, Pennelope Beckles, said that the government was also using the SoE to prevent citizens from staging protests, including outside the Parliament building.
Former national security minister Marvin Gonzales said that the PNM intends to file the constitutional motion if the government proceeds with plans to seek another extension of the emergency measures.
He said that the government has already signalled its intention to return to parliament to extend the SoE, adding, “Enough is enough.
“We wish to serve notice to the government that we have already assembled our team of attorneys who will be prepared to go to the court and file a constitutional motion to bring an end to this unlawful and unconstitutional state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago,” he added.
On Sunday, Defence Minister Wayne Sturge said while the government can govern Trinidad “without an SoE, but not at this time”.
He told the Sunday Express newspaper that he personally believes the state of emergency should be extended for a further three months and that while significant gains have been made against crime, gang warfare, and the illegal flow of guns and drugs into the country, more time is needed to consolidate those gains and strengthen the country’s security apparatus.
Sturge told the newspaper that while law enforcement agencies have made progress in addressing security threats, key objectives are still being pursued.
Since taking office in May 2025, the Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration has implemented two states of emergency as part of its response to escalating crime and national security threats.
“We are making a significant dent. If it were up to me, I would recommend another three-month extension, but it is not up to me; it is up to the entire National Security Council,” Sturge said.
CMC/ag/ir/2026