Heightened security measures were put in place for government officials and Parliamentarians last week after a gang threat sparked a national security incident.
Attorney General John Jeremie SC revealed limited details on the plot while speaking in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
“Last Friday a member of one of those gangs in that community sparked a national security incident such that all of us in this Parliament were protected to a higher degree, and certain officials in the government were given additional protection.”
Contributing to the debate on The Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Bill 2026, the Attorney General did not specify which community the threat originated from and firmly stated that he refused to be intimidated.
He said the country is at war with gangs and criminal enterprises, taking the firm stance that the government has brought absolute force toward criminals, with the State of Emergency a declaration of war.
The Attorney General emphasised that the government will continue to target criminals regardless of where they operate from.
“Those gangs, I agree with my colleague from Toco/Sangre Grande, are sometimes located in Bell Eau Road, Serraneau Road and so on. That the gangs are also located in Westmoorings, in Goodwood Park, and in some of the other places. I would not say who are the representatives for those areas.”
The Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Bill 2026 provides for certain criminal convictions to be expunged from an individual’s record.
Its primary aim is to support the rehabilitation of offenders by recognising that individuals who have not been re-convicted of a serious offence within a specified period should be given the opportunity to have their past convictions erased.