A state of emergency declared in Trinidad and Tobago over an “epidemic” of gang violence has led the Foreign Office to issue a warning in its latest travel advice.

A spike in deadly attacks prompted the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago to bring into force a country-wide state of emergency on Monday (December 30).

The declaration came after a weekend marred by gang-related violence, which resulted in multiple deaths, including five men believed to be victims of reprisal shootings.

National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds told reporters at a press conference: “There is no doubt in my mind that we are dealing with an epidemic.”

Britain’s Foreign Office warned anyone travelling to Trinidad and Tobago to expect a heightened police and military presence. Officials urged visitors to always carry their ID and comply with the local authorities.

Under the state of emergency, law enforcement will be able to conduct searches, detain suspects for 48 hours and make arrests without a warrant.

Schools, businesses and other activities, including upcoming New Year’s celebrations, are expected to proceed as scheduled.

Acting Attorney General Stuart Young stressed while there was general concern about the increased violence, there was particular unease about “increased and heightened brazen acts of criminal activity” by gangs carrying illegal weapons.

He said: “The criminal gangs via the use of the high-powered assault weapons and other illegal firearms in areas of Trinidad and possibly Tobago are likely to immediately increase their brazen acts of violence in reprisal shootings on a scale so extensive that it threatens persons and will endanger public safety.”

The two island republic has recorded an unprecedented 623 murders for the year to date, and gang-related violence has accounted for 263 of them, according to Mr Hinds.

People who live in Trinidad and Tobago are no strangers to states of emergency.

In 2021, Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s administration implemented one to restrict movements and limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus during the pandemic.

Ten years earlier, his predecessor, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, instituted a limited state of emergency and curfew in areas declared crime “hotspots”.

The Caribbean region has seen a rise in violence in recent months, with Jamaica declaring a state of emergency in August after a spate of killings.

A UN-backed Kenyan-led police force in Haiti has been battling against gangs which are reported to be in control of more than 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.