In Brief
- Permit System: The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) is establishing two micro-units inside the Maloney Gardens Housing Development to serve as contact points where residents can apply for permits to enter and exit the closed area.
- Duration & Body Cameras: Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro stated the lockdown and nightly curfew (9 pm to 5 am) will remain in place ‘for as long as is lawfully necessary,’ while admitting that not all officers will wear body cameras as required by the Act because the TTPS currently has only around 100 usable devices.
- Reason for Lockdown: The declaration of a closed area under the Security Special Operations Act 2026 was triggered by a viral video on Monday showing gunmen firing indiscriminately near women and children, alongside intelligence that gangs were using the housing development as a refuge for reprisals.
By Alicia Chamely
Two Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) micro-units are being established in the Maloney Gardens Housing Development where residents can apply for permits to enter and leave the closed area.
This was confirmed on Wednesday by Commissioner of Police (CoP) Allister Guevarro at a press briefing held at the TTPS Administration Building in Port of Spain.
Guevarro said the units being set up would operate as points of contact between residents and the police.
He explained that residents would be able to obtain entry and exit permits at the units, communicate with officers, and provide information relating to the exercise.
Questioned as to whether there was a set date for the lockdown of the development to end, Guevarro said, “The operation will remain in effect for as long as is lawfully necessary to ensure public safety.”
“As long as I hold the office of Commissioner of Police, I will utilise every lawful power and every lawful authority and every lawful tool available to me to protect the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. The Special Operations Act was enacted to be used when circumstances demanded, and the circumstances demanded it. The law was followed, the evidence was considered, the intelligence was assessed, and the threshold prescribed by the Parliament was met,” he said.
Regarding what operations would be conducted in the area, Guevarro said, “It would not be prudent, responsible, or operationally sound to disclose the nature, scope, and timing or extent of current or future law enforcement activities. Operational security remains paramount.”
Questioned about officers wearing body-worn cameras, as required by the Act, Guevarro said, “As long as body cams are available, they are utilised.”
He admitted that not all officers involved in the operation would be equipped with body cameras, stating that at present the TTPS only had about 100 usable cameras and was in the process of procuring more.
Addressing criticism that residents were not notified before their community was placed under lockdown, Guevarro said, “I am bewildered as to whether they wanted me to announce to the criminals that [we] are coming in the area to lock it down. Let good sense prevail. Let the police do their job.”
“What I can say is that law enforcement and security agencies must be permitted to conduct their duties unhindered and without interference,” he said.
Guevarro issued a stern warning to criminal elements in the area, saying, “To the criminals who seek to intimidate the communities and arm themselves for reprisals and endanger innocent lives, my message is straightforward: you will not be allowed to dictate how the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago live. You will not be allowed to transform communities like Maloney into a battleground, and you will not be allowed to undermine the rule of law.”
“If you break the law, my officers will deal with you decisively. My officers remain committed to protecting life, preserving peace, and defending our communities from those who seek to undermine them,” he warned.
Lockdown justified
Guevarro explained that the decision to lock down Maloney Gardens was taken after a viral video on Monday showed what he described as the “indiscriminate discharging of a firearm in the presence of numerous members of the public, including women and children.”
He said, “I found that footage deeply disturbing, and immediately upon reviewing that video, I contacted the Divisional Commander for the area, Senior Superintendent Avalon Frank, and directed that immediate action be taken. A series of law enforcement operations was subsequently conducted, utilising traditional policing methods in an effort to identify the offenders, recover the firearms, and restore public safety.”
Guevarro said despite the TTPS’s efforts, intelligence continued to reveal “an escalating and dangerous situation involving gangs.”
Noting it had been uncovered that gangs were using the development as a “refuge,” he said, “Intelligence also indicated that these incidents were linked to historical gang conflicts, which in the past have resulted in fatal reprisals and protracted cycles of violence.”
Referring to the video of the shooting, he said, “The video, which circulated nationally and internationally, was not merely a recording of a criminal act; it was a visual representation of ordinary citizens, law-abiding citizens, being terrorised. It showed women running for cover. [It] showed little children fleeing in panic, and it showed a community being held hostage by criminality. No citizen in Trinidad and Tobago should live with that.”
He added, “I took the necessary steps to invoke provisions of the Security Special Operations Act 2026. The President subsequently exercised her authority under Section 11(1) of the Act and declared the Maloney Gardens Housing Development, located within Policing District 2, as a closed area. This was later published in Legal Notice 847 of 2026, and a curfew was placed via Legal Notice 848 of 2026. That curfew is from 9 pm to 5 am nightly. Thereafter, law enforcement personnel moved swiftly and decisively into the area and commenced operations in accordance with the law.”
