Historic drop

THE MURDER toll in 2025 reached a ten-year low. That should be celebrated. But it’s no reason for the authorities to become complacent. On the contrary, the tally puts an onus on the state to maintain these gains.

The 369 total confirmed by the police, which is the lowest since 2014, cannot be viewed in isolation.

It came in a year dominated by two states of emergency, first under the PNM and then under the UNC. The first expired in April after just over three months; the second was extended and remains ongoing and will stretch into six months unless it ends earlier.

Even so, the tally is lower than what was recorded in 2020 when drastic covid restrictions were first introduced, and in 2021, when a nationwide state of emergency was declared because of the pandemic.

In those years, which saw unprecedented limitations on civil society and curfews, police reported 393 and 448 murders, respectively.

Notably, 2025’s two states of emergency have not been accompanied by any restrictions on movement. Nonetheless, the tally still fell by a whopping 42 per cent.

That’s even steeper than the drop that occurred in 2011 when a state of emergency was declared in the first Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration. Figures then suggested a drop of about 30 per cent.

Thus, something more may well be at play besides the imposition of extraordinary police powers.

One obvious factor is the fact that the country now has a top cop. The appointment of Allister Guevarro came after the shocking and ignominious end of the tenure of Erla Harewood-Christopher.

It also returned the law enforcement system to a situation in which there was a substantive police commissioner and leader at the helm. Ms Harewood-Christopher, while holding that title, had been subject to one-year extensions at the pleasure of the Rowley-led cabinet due to her having passed the retirement age.

The prime minister has suggested the significant drop is the result of the work not only of the police, but also of her “dedicated team” of cabinet ministers.

Mrs Persad-Bissessar’s reconstitution of the security portfolio as being one divided into separate areas (homeland security, defence, justice and attorney general affairs) means at least four people are now working on national safety 24/7.

Mr Guevarro, too, has been quick to crow about “tactical precision, investigative brilliance, community engagement,” and “diligence behind the scenes.”

The test of such claims will come this year, when all eyes will be on whether the numbers continue to fall.

Some recent criminal justice reforms might well play a role in ensuring that will be the case.

For example, the handing back of power to justices of the peace to rubber stamp warrants could well result in significant short-term gains. Long-term convictions, though, are another matter.