Trinidad and Tobago declares state of emergency as murders soar

The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the region, with more than 620 killed this year.

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President Christine Carla Kangaloo issued the declaration on the advice of Prime Minister Keith Rowley, who had been under growing pressure to take action over worsening crime figures.

The twin-island republic has one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a record murder tally of more than 620 this year so far in a population of 1.5 million people.

Organised crime is responsible for the majority of the murders, many of them linked to the international drug trade.

According to the US state department, the country's close proximity to Venezuela, porous borders and direct transportation routes to Europe and North America make it "a prime location for narcotics trans-shipment".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgnzg40p7eo

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