Sep 19, 2026
3 min read
A resident could wake up to find their community surrounded by roadblocks, movement restricted by a curfew and a permit required to leave or return home.
Police and soldiers could also search properties without warrants and demand names and addresses from people encountered within the area.
Those are among the powers proposed under Trinidad and Tobago’s Special Operations Bill 2026, which the Government defended in Parliament on Friday as a necessary response to violent crime.
Attorney General John Jeremie acknowledged that the bill could affect constitutional rights, including liberty, freedom of movement, property rights and respect for private and family life.
But he argued that the wider population’s interest in peace and order outweighs any limited infringement of those rights.
“Our view is that any such infringement is reasonable and proportionate,” Jeremie told the House of Representatives.
Defence Minister Wayne Sturge was more forceful, saying the legislation was designed to confront what he repeatedly called the “bandit class.”
“These are serious times. It calls for serious measures,” Sturge said.
The bill divides the country into seven policing districts covering Port of Spain, Diego Martin and San Juan-Laventille; Arima and Tunapuna-Piarco; Chaguanas and Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo; San Fernando, Princes Town and Penal-Debe; Sangre Grande and Mayaro-Rio Claro; Point Fortin and Siparia; and Tobago.
However, these districts would not automatically become closed areas.
The President would first have to identify a specific location where public safety is threatened by violent crime, shootings, kidnappings, illegal firearms or gang control, and determine that ordinary policing measures are not enough.
Once a community is declared closed, security forces could use barriers and roadblocks to seal it off and impose curfews. Most residents would need permits to enter, leave or move around during the restrictions.
Breaking those rules could carry a TT$50,000 fine and one year in prison.
Police and soldiers could search homes and other properties without warrants, but only where they have reasonable suspicion that an offence has been, is being or is about to be committed.
Officers could also demand a person’s full name, aliases and address. Refusing to provide that information, or giving false information, could result in a TT$20,000 fine.
Sturge insisted the measures would not make every resident a suspect.
“So not the shopkeeper. Not the little child who had to go to school,” he said. “What we are doing is we are looking to target a minority of people who are causing mayhem.”
The Government says safeguards include court supervision of detention, access to attorneys and relatives, body-worn cameras and regular reports to Parliament.
Still, the bill says cameras must be used only “as far as is possible,” and Sturge acknowledged that officers may switch them off while seeking information from residents who fear being recorded.
Any closed-area declaration must be explained to Parliament within seven days and can be overturned by the House.
The legislation would expire after two years.
