Minister of Land and Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein says the State of Emergency implemented in July 2025 has significantly reduced murders and gang killings and boosted the recovery of firearms.
He was speaking at a United National Congress Press Briefing on Wednesday.
“The steps, the policies, the laws that we have implemented so far are taking shape. We are seeing the benefits from the policy decisions that we have taken as a government.”
Minister Hosein reminded that the country’s murder toll in 2025 stood at 369, compared to the record 626 in 2024 under the previous administration.
“I am happy to report that when we closed the year 2025, we were able to announce to the public that there was a 42% reduction in the murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago and that didn’t happen by chance. It happened because we now had a Prime Minister as the head of the National Security Council taking very important, decisive, proportional decisions in order to stifle criminal activities in Trinidad and Tobago.”
He also noted that there has been success in firearm recoveries.
“When you look at the number of firearms and ammunition, which is the weapon of choice of criminals in the SOE that was discovered so far, from July to present, July 2025 to present, we have discovered 292 firearms of various assortment: 71 revolvers, 144 pistols, 45 shotguns, 29 rifles, and three air rifles.”
Minister Hosein also highlighted that there has been a drastic decrease in gang-related murders under the UNC administration.