This Caribbean Nation Has Had 285 Murders So Far This Year

Trinidad & Tobago

By NAN Contributor

News Americas, PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Aug. 19, 2016: The twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago continues to see a rise in its murder rates this year even as the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) says the numbers have declined compared to last year.

Hours after the TTPS announced the decline in murders compared to 2015, six people were killed, pushing the murder tally as of Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016 to 285. On Wednesday, August 17, 2016,  four people were killed in separate incidents, including fabricator Selwyn Sammy, 47, who was discovered dead shortly after daybreak with multiple gunshot wounds at his Point Fortin home.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, two more people were murdered.

The Powerful Ladies of T&T (PLOTT), says guns have been used in most of the murders, to the tune of 76.6 per cent this year, followed by knives and other sharp objects at 13 per cent. The majority of the murders have been committed at or around 10 p.m., a recent PLOTT report said.

The UK and Canada have both warned its nationals to be extremely cautious in travelling to the island because of high levels of violent crimes especially in parts of the capital Port-of-Spain.

The U.S. State Department warns that: “volent crimes, including assault, kidnapping for ransom, sexual assault, and murder have involved expatriate residents and tourists, including U.S. citizens.”

The U.S. also warns nationals about Tobago, where it says “violent crime is an issue, including attacks on expatriate residents and tourists in their residences, many of which involve the use of machetes.”