The Trinidad and Tobago government government Wednesday defended its decision to pilot legislation allowing for homeowners to defend their properties even by deadly force, as the opposition warned that the legislation would damage the fabric of society.
Prior to the debate, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, writing on X, said that during the campaign for the last general election, she had given her word to the population that her administration ‘would act decisively to protect families, safeguard homes and restore peace of mind.
‘Today I am proud that debate begins in the House of Representatives on legislation that willl legally empower citizens to defend themselves and their loved ones against the frightening scourge of home invasions, an issue that was left unattended for too long,’ she wrote.
She said that the legislation is ‘more than a law and ‘it is a solemn commitment to your safety, your dignity and your right to to feel secure in the one place that must always be safe, your home,’ she added.
Attorney General, John Jeremie in tabling the Home Invasion (Self-Defence and Defence of Property) Bill 2025, commonly known as ‘strand your ground legislation, told legislators that the state of crime and criminality here, was for the new government ‘untenable.