AG: Trinidad and Tobago not a zone of peace

2026-01-25 - 21:09

ATTORNEY General John Jeremie says Trinidad and Tobago has been grappling with “rampant” gang-related violent crime for more than a decade, telling a regional forum that the country is not “a zone of peace.” Jeremie was speaking at a special session of the 2nd PACE Attorneys General Roundtable in Bridgetown, Barbados, titled Successful Approaches to Gang Prosecution on January 24. There he addressed the challenges facing the justice system in tackling organised criminal networks and violent crime. “Trinidad and Tobago was not part of a zone of peace. Peace is not the absence of war. It is a state of harmony and well-being,” he said. According to a release from the Office of the Attorney General on January 24, he said the government was determined to address the situation through a combination of new legislation and targeted social and law enforcement interventions, particularly in communities heavily affected by gang-related violence and homicides. Jeremie made the comments as he led a delegation including technocrats from the Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice, as well as members of the judiciary from January 21 to 23. The roundtable was hosted by the United Nations Development Programme, in partnership with the European Union and the Office of the Attorney General of Barbados. Discussions centred around the theme Advancing Judicial Reform, Regional Collaboration and Backlog Reduction.