By: Staff Writer
October 15, 2024
As Trinidadian Officials wring their hands about the out of control murder rate in the country, families are still struggling to deal with the loss of their loved ones.
The murder count released by the Trinidad and Tobago in Trinidad and Tobago stands at 418 confirmed as of August, however, at the current percent growth rate, T&T is projected to hit 730 murders by December 31.
This is nothing to be proud of as families wake up on T&T on a daily basis to hear that their loved ones lives have been taken by a murder.
Family members are even taking the lives of their own loved ones now as in the case of 31-year-old Rishi Mootilal who murdered his estranged wife 34 year old Tara Geeta Ramsaroop and their one year old baby girl Jada. The victims were killed at Mootilal’s Rigg Road, Barrackpore home. Ramsaroop lived at G.P. Road in Barrackpore, Trinidad.
But, T&T Police Service is chalking most of the murders up to out of control gangs who are fighting over territory, which is a trend in the rest of the region the United Nations and other observers are saying.
T&T has experienced a sharp spike in homicides in 2024, with 418 cases as of August 31, surpassing the figures from the same period over the previous five years. With a homicide rate of 26 per 100,000 people, Trinidad and Tobago not only exceeds last year’s rates in Colombia and Mexico, but is on pace to surpass the record over 640 murders by the end of November which is more than the murders reported in 2022, with projections that homicides could hit a new high of 730 by the end of the year.
Criminologist Randy Seepersad’s predictive model forecasts a more modest projection, but still yet a troubling future, projecting homicides could hit 700 by 2030 if Trinidad and Tobago continues down its current path. This model acts as “a warning system,” said Seepersad in an interview with InSight Crime. “And it should be used as a means to signal that things are reaching a level that something serious needs to be done.”
According to official data, gang-related violence in 2024 accounts for 42.6 percent of the murders, with 10.7 percent linked to drug activity, and 8.4 percent attributed to revenge killings – all categories linked to organized crime in the country, according to officials from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
Conversely, Tobago also has recorded murder 25 yesterday, prompting the head of the Tobago Business Chamber and director of the Crime Stoppers initiative in Tobago, Martin George, to relaunch the programme. In a statement Sunday, George said something must be done, and pledged to assist with the relaunch of the Crime Stoppers programme, which involves the anonymous submission of information that can help in solving or preventing crimes