Category: CANA News

Trinidad and Tobago recorded declines in homicides, serious reported crime and road traffic accidents during the first nine months of 2026 compared with the corresponding periods in 2025 and 2024, according to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).

The TTPS said in its Third Quarter 2026 Public Performance Appraisal released on Friday that 265 homicides were recorded between January and September, compared with 275 in the same period last year and 475 in 2024.

The figures represent reductions of 3.6 per cent and 44.2 per cent respectively.

Serious reported crime also declined to 7,593 cases, down 13.3 per cent from 2025 and 17.3 per cent from 2024, the police service said.

Road traffic accidents fell to 13,324, a 36.8 per cent reduction compared with 2025, while fatal road traffic accidents declined by 27.2 per cent.

The TTPS said the homicide figures also compare favourably with most corresponding January-to-September periods since 2001.

According to the appraisal, the 265 homicides recorded in 2026 were lower than the corresponding totals in 20 of the previous 25 years. The five years with lower totals were 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007.

The police service cautioned that the historical comparison does not, on its own, establish causation or account for changes in population, recording practices or other factors.

The appraisal also identified areas requiring continued attention.

Kidnapping for ransom increased from six reports in the first nine months of 2025 to seven this year, while reported sexual offences and fraud also increased.

The TTPS said its analysis attributed the increases in sexual offences and fraud to greater reporting.

Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro said the public should be given a measurable account of the Police Service’s performance, whether the figures were favourable or not.

‘Accountability cannot mean reporting only when the figures are favourable,’ he said.

Guevarro said the figures demonstrated progress but added that ‘progress is not victory’, while acknowledging areas where greater effort was required.

The Public Performance Appraisal covers TTPS performance from January to September 2026 and was released following the submission of the Police Service’s third-quarter performance report to the National Security Council.

Barbados has stepped up monitoring at its ports of entry following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in neighbouring Suriname, with authorities warning of the potential impact on the local poultry sector.

Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Mark Trotman said Barbados had not imposed specific restrictions on Suriname, noting that existing quarantine and import-control measures remain in place.

He said that poultry and meat products can only be imported from approved countries under the existing permitting system.

‘As far as the measures that we are taking to mitigate against the entry of HPAI from anywhere, really and truly, we haven’t put anything specific in place right now for Suriname, other than our normal quarantine protocols,’ Trotman told Barbados TODAY.

Surinamese authorities confirmed an outbreak of the H5 strain of avian influenza in September after about 5,000 broiler chickens died at a commercial operation in the Wanica and Paramaribo area.

The remaining approximately 1,000 birds at the affected farm were subsequently culled as authorities moved to contain the outbreak.

Trotman said Barbados’ limited commercial poultry trade with Suriname reduces the risk posed through authorised imports, but authorities are paying closer attention to illegal imports.

‘We would exercise a little more diligence at the ports of entry for illegal importations,’ he said. ‘There is obviously the possibility of people sneaking it in or bringing it in their baggage and so on. For that, we have strengthened our port surveillance.’

He said no emergency restrictions or ban on imports from Suriname had been introduced, but the situation was being monitored and further measures could be taken if the disease spreads more widely in the region.

The Veterinary Services Department is also preparing to improve its diagnostic capacity, with a new laboratory expected to be completed later this year.

Trotman said the department currently has limited capacity to conduct preliminary serology testing, while samples can be sent to overseas reference laboratories for confirmation.

‘We do have a rapid response mechanism which will kick in if we do have an outbreak locally. We would go and investigate, take samples, and then send it to a reference laboratory,’ he said.

Trotman said the main concern for Barbados is the possible introduction of HPAI into poultry farms, given the potential consequences for agricultural production and food security.

He urged poultry farmers to maintain strict biosecurity measures and to report signs of sudden illness in their birds to veterinary authorities or a veterinarian.

The Suriname outbreak was also discussed at a recent meeting of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) chief veterinary officers attended by Trotman.

He said veterinary assistance was offered to Surinamese counterparts during the meeting, although the outbreak did not prompt widespread regional concern among the officials attending.

Trans Guyana Airways (TGA) says it is preparing to launch direct flights between Georgetown and Cayenne following the signing of a modernised air services agreement between Guyana and France.

The airline says it has begun administrative and regulatory preparations and intends to operate at least two weekly nonstop services, subject to the required approvals.

Guyana’s Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar and French Ambassador to Guyana Olivier Plançon signed the agreement in Georgetown on September 30.

The agreement replaces the bilateral air services framework signed in 1976.

TGA says Guyana has designated it to operate scheduled passenger and cargo services between Guyana and French Guiana. The agreement also provides for commercial cooperation between airlines, including code-sharing and other cooperative marketing arrangements.

According to TGA, a direct flight could reduce travel time between Georgetown and Cayenne from as much as 24 hours by existing surface connections to about one hour and 15 minutes by air.

The airline says the proposed service could also provide onward connectivity through carriers serving French Guiana, including Air France, and support tourism, business travel, investment and trade between Guyana and French Guiana and across the wider Guiana Shield.

TGA said the agreement was signed during Guyana’s hosting of the ICAO/EASA 3rd Global RSOO/RAIO Forum for Aviation Safety.

The airline said it has started preparations for the proposed service, but its launch remains subject to regulatory and operating approvals.

Scoreboard of the opening T20I between Zimbabwe Women and West Indies Women at the Takashinga Sports Club here on Saturday.

ZIMBABWE WOMEN

+Modester Mupachikwa b Fletcher 20

Sharne Mayers c Fletcher b Henry 0

Kelis Ndhlovu lbw b Ramharack 11

Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano c Fletcher b Ramharack 4

Beloved Biza c Fletcher b Ramharack 21

*Josephine Nkomo c Fletcher b Claxton 8

Nyasha Gwanzura c Ramharack b Fletcher 10

Francisca Chipare c Ramharack b Claxton 2

Kudzai Chigora not out 3

Extras (lb1, nb1, w8) 10

TOTAL (nine wickets; 20 overs) 97

Did not bat: Olinder Chare.

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-29, 3-37, 4-41, 5-65, 6-77, 7-87, 8-91, 9-97.

Bowling: Henry 3-0-7-1, Hector 3-0-20-0, Ramharack 4-0-17-3, Fletcher 4-0-18-2, Taylor 3-0-18-0, Claxton 3-0-16-2.

WEST INDIES WOMEN

Eboni Brathwaite b Chare 23

Jahzara Claxton not out 31

Realeanna Grimmond c and b Biza 34

Stafanie Taylor not out 1

Extras (b1, lb1, w7) 9

TOTAL (two wickets; 12.5 overs) 98

Did not bat: *Chinelle Henry, Jannillea Glasgow, Aaliyah Alleyne, +Mandy Mangru, Afy Fletcher, Shawnisha Hector, Karishma Ramharack.

Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-97.

Bowling: Chigora 2-0-27-0, Gwanzura 2-0-11-0, Mavunga 1-0-12-0, Chare 4-0-22-1, Biza 1.5-0-10-1, Chipare 2-0-14-0.

Result: West Indies Women won by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Player-of-the-Match: Jahzara Claxton.

Umpires: Forster Mutizwa, Kim Cotton.

Reserve Umpire: Percival Sizara.

Match Referee: Owen Chirombe.

As Caribbean community members in New York get ready to pay their last respects to the Mighty Sparrow, the president of the lone Vincentian calypso tent in North America has joined glowing tributes to the undisputed Calypso King of the World.

He has also called for a museum or a statue to be erected in the late calypsonian’s honour.

The Mighty Sparrow, whose real name is Slinger Francisco, died in Queens, New York, last Sunday. He was 91.

‘I felt like I just lost a very important part of my life,’ Carlos ‘Rejector’ Providence, president of the Dynamite Calypso Tent in Brooklyn, New York, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Friday.

‘From very early childhood, I remember listening to and singing calypsos from Sparrow throughout my life,’ added Providence, also a calypsonian. ‘Up to this day I still listen, sing and enjoy everything by Sparrow, and I admire his immense versatility, which allowed him the ease of also being a great crooner, doing numerous ballads and proving to be one of the greatest all-round entertainers of all time.’

Through his vast body of work, Providence added, ‘Sparrow exemplified the understanding of one’s gift/talent, and he used it for the upliftment of people of many races throughout the world, transcending generations.’

‘A true Caribbean son, Sparrow, very early in his life, through his outstanding intellect, wit, poetic skills and music, demonstrated his keen knowledge and understanding of our history, culture, heritage and general day-to-day way of life, reminding us of the many ills, brazen and disguised that were meted out to us, intending to keep us subjected, thus strengthening our awareness of the serious times in which we live, and preparing us for what lies ahead.

‘He made us laugh, cry, enjoy coming together as one people in the calypso tent, clubs, fete, concerts, on the streets Carnival Monday and Tuesday, and in the church, where I had the distinct honour of seeing him perform his gospel songs a few years ago,’ added Providence.

He said Sparrow was someone every calypsonian aspired to be like, on and off stage.

‘His multiple accolades are testament to the outstanding qualities he possessed,’ Providence said. ‘Yet, in my opinion, he deserved a lot more for showing the true power of our own art of calypso and taking it around the world.

‘Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago and the entire Caribbean must be proud of this great Caribbean man, who, clearly, with such tremendous contribution of talent and vast body of work, can only be one in a lifetime.

‘It is, therefore, my hope that we, as a Caribbean people, would honour his legacy, either by establishing a Sparrow Museum, introducing his work in the school curriculum, [or] erecting a statue of him where it can be easily accessed by everyone.’

The late Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow.

Sparrow’s family said in a statement on Friday that his life will be celebrated at what is expected to be a massive funeral on Sunday at Linden Seventh Day Adventist Church in the Laurelton section of Queens, starting at 2 p.m.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago said earlier this week that it will assist the family in providing an official state funeral for the Mighty Sparrow.

Culture and Community Development Minister Michelle Benjamin told the Trinidad and Tobago House of Representatives on Wednesday that a committee has already been established to work with Sparrow’s family in organising ‘a funeral fit for a legend’.

‘Under the direction of the prime minister, an official state-assisted funeral will be held,’ said Benjamin, stating that a date for the funeral is yet ‘to be fixed’.

The Mighty Sparrow’s name and accomplishments are already a part of the official historical record of the United States Congress.

It highlights Sparrow’s more than five decades, at the time, of musical accomplishments and his contributions to Caribbean culture and society.

The United States Coast Guard is searching off the coast of Nantucket for a medical transfer aircraft with six people aboard that lost contact while travelling from Bermuda to Boston early Saturday.

The Federal Aviation Administration notified the Coast Guard that it had lost contact with the Canadian-registered Gulfstream G100 at about 2 a.m., according to the Coast Guard.

The aircraft had departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda for Boston and was carrying four crew members and two passengers, according to the airport’s operator, Skyport.

The Coast Guard said it had deployed air and surface crews to search for the aircraft off Nantucket, Massachusetts. The search included aircraft and vessels from Coast Guard stations in the area.

The aircraft is operated by Ontario-based Latitude Air Ambulance, which provides medical evacuation and patient transport services.

A spokesman for Latitude confirmed that the aircraft was missing and said the company had contacted search-and-rescue and law enforcement authorities.

The aircraft took off from Bermuda late Friday night and was expected to arrive at Boston Logan International Airport early Saturday. Massport, which operates Logan Airport, confirmed that the aircraft did not arrive as scheduled.

The circumstances surrounding the loss of contact remain unclear, and the search was continuing Saturday.

West Indies Women defeated Zimbabwe Women by eight wickets in the opening T20I at the Takashinga Sports Club here on Saturday.

Scores

ZIMBABWE WOMEN 97-9 in 20 overs (Beloved Biza 21, Modester Mupachikwa 20, Kelis Ndhlovu 11, Nyasha Gwanzura 10; Karishma Ramharack 3-17, Jahzara Claxton 2-16, Afy Fletcher 2-18).

WEST INDIES WOMEN 98-2 in 12.5 overs (Realeanna Grimmond 34, Jahzara Claxton 31 not out, Eboni Brathwaite 23).

Caribbean countries are moving to strengthen management of marine spaces, combat illegal fishing and improve seafood traceability as pressure on the region’s fisheries resources increases.

Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green said seafood traceability had become a global requirement and Caribbean countries must strengthen their ability to track fish through the supply chain. He said this would help improve transparency and build confidence among buyers.

Green said the region was committed to ending illegal fishing and strengthening its regional framework to help manage how marine spaces are used.

He was speaking at a press briefing for the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny on Friday.

‘We do appreciate that our marine space is coming under extreme pressure for multiple uses, that we have to ensure that our fishers have the space to operate,’ he said.

The minister said an assessment by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) had identified skills gaps among member countries, which would now be addressed to ensure that decisions taken at regional forums such as CWA could be implemented.

He said the CRFM and Jamaica’s National Fisheries Authority also hosted a session during the six-day event, which began on September 27, to honour ‘heroes of the blue economy’ with awards.

Green said labour shortages were another issue requiring attention, adding that regional models could help address workforce challenges in Caribbean agriculture.

He said the ultimate goal of CWA was to ensure that farmers and fishers received better support, improved productivity and more dependable markets, while consumers benefited from a more reliable food supply.

‘We must ensure that officials, young entrepreneurs and our farmers can participate in the growth,’ he said.

Green also welcomed strong private-sector participation at the event and said the next step was to turn discussions into viable projects and investment opportunities covering production, processing, storage and distribution.

Jahzara Claxton’s fine all-around effort guided West Indies Women to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe Women in the opening T20I here on Saturday.

Claxton snared two wickets in a stingy spell of pace bowling as Zimbabwe were restricted to a mere 97 for nine in their 20 overs after being sent in at the Takashinga Sports Club.

The 20-year-old then scored an unbeaten 31 to see the visitors romp to 98 for two and complete victory with a mammoth 43 balls still remaining.

Playing without their inspirational captain Hayley Matthews, West Indies Women didn’t miss a beat as their bowlers put the home side on the backfoot from the start of the match.

With just 13 runs on the board, opener Sharne Mayers was dismissed by stand-in captain Chinelle Henry for a duck with the last ball of the third over.

Offspinner Karishma Ramharack then trapped Kelis Ndhlovu lbw for 11 and also dismissed Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, who made just four, in quick succession to leave then struggling at 37 for three in the 10th over.

Afy Fletcher brought opener Modester Mupachikwa’s miserable innings of 20 off 33 balls to an end by rattling her stumps, before Claxton claimed the wicket of captain Josephine Nkomo for eight to leave the score 65 for five.

The efforts of Beloved Biza, who made 21 off 24 balls and Nyasha Gwanzura, who scored 10, helped to carry Zimbabwe within sight of the 100-mark, but they fell just short.

Ramharack was the pick of the Windies’ bowlers with 3-17, while Claxton (2-16) and Fletcher (2-18) provided support.

West Indies Women then wasted little time in getting to their target with Eboni Brathwaite and Claxton putting on 38 runs in four overs.

Legspinner Olinder Chare got the breakthrough for Zimbabwe by bowling Brathwaite for a quickfire 23 off 14 balls.

However, Claxton and Realeanna Grimmond effectively sealed the contest with a 59-run partnership for the second wicket.

The two looked set to carry their side over the line until Grimmond gave Biza a return catch with the scores level to be out for 34 off 25 balls.

Stafanie Taylor then sealed the deal by picking up a single off the next delivery.

Player-of-the-Match Claxton faced 37 balls and hit four fours in her unbeaten knock.

West Indies defeated India by five wickets in the third and final One Day International at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.

Scores

INDIA 351-7 in 50 overs (KL Rahul 129 not out, Rohit Sharma 92, Ruturaj Gaikwad 57, Naman Dhir 30, Anshul Kamboj 17; Jayden Seales 3-62, Keemo Paul 2-71).

WEST INDIES 352-5 in 48.2 overs (Shai Hope 162 not out, Amir Jangoo 67, Keemo Paul 44, Sherfane Rutherford 24, Gudakesh Motie 19 not out, John Campbell 10).