Caption: DCP Suzette Martin and CoP Allister Guevarro. AZP News/Alicia Chamely
Summary
- Preliminary TTPS figures show serious crime reports for Carnival Monday and Tuesday 2026 fell 69.35% year-on-year, from 62 in 2025 to 19.
- Deputy Commissioner Suzette Martin credited “preparation, partnership and professionalism” in a major two-day national security operation.
- Police reported 908 patrols and 125 targeted exercises across divisions during the celebrations.
- TTPS data include 25 arrests, one firearm with five rounds seized, 241 fixed-penalty tickets, and four crashes with two fatalities, plus 397 tows in Port of Spain.
- Commissioner Allister Guevarro said TTPS is closely monitoring post-SOE crime risks and will use SOE intelligence to respond to any uptick in gang or hotspot violence.
By Alicia Chamely
PRELIMINARY data show serious crime reports for Carnival Monday and Tuesday 2026 fell by more than 69% compared with 2025.
Speaking at a Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) post-Carnival press conference on Friday at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain, Deputy Commissioner of Police Suzette Martin said the policing of Carnival 2026 was a “testament to preparation, partnership and professionalism.”
Martin said: “Carnival represents one of the largest and most complex national security operations undertaken annually in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Over the two peak days—Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday—the TTPS deployed significant human and operational resources across all divisions to ensure public safety, maintain law and order, and support a safe cultural celebration worthy of what we proudly call the greatest show on earth.”
She said that over the two-day celebrations, the TTPS conducted 908 patrols and 125 coordinated and targeted exercises.
Martin shared consolidated TTPS data for Monday and Tuesday as follows:
- 19 serious crimes reported
- 25 people arrested
- One firearm with five rounds of ammunition seized
- 241 fixed-penalty tickets issued
- Four car accidents, resulting in two fatalities
- 397 vehicles towed in Port of Spain
- 25.38 grams of narcotics seized
Asked for Carnival 2025 figures, Martin said she only had data on serious crimes.
She said that from 2020 to 2025, serious crimes ranged between 53 and 79. In 2025, 62 serious crimes were reported. Preliminary data for 2026 show 19 serious crimes—a decrease of 43, or 69.35%.
Martin stressed the figures were preliminary and could change in the coming days.
On the overall Carnival security operation, she said: “While serious incidents did occur, the overwhelming majority of Carnival events proceeded without major disruption. High-visibility patrols, discipline, crowd management, intelligence-led deployments and structured gold, silver and bronze command oversight contributed significantly to operational stability. The recovery of a firearm and arrests reflect proactive enforcement.”
Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro said the policing outcome could not have been achieved without stakeholder support. “Carnival 2026 was a national effort, and the TTPS acknowledges every individual and institution that played an integral part,” he said.
Looking ahead, and responding to concerns that people detained and later released after the State of Emergency (SOE) ended would “fall back into their old ways,” Guevarro said the TTPS was monitoring the situation closely.
“We are utilizing the intelligence that we gathered during that SOE period to guide and lead our investigations going forward. I don’t want to speak too much on the strategies we’ll be utilising, but just know that we are prepared to respond to any upsurge in gang violence or violence in hotspot areas,” he said.
