The State of Private Security Companies in Trinidad and Tobago: Towards the Development of a Governance System

Abstract

Increasingly throughout the Caribbean, more commercial and non-militarized kinds of private security comprise security governance today. The escalating spate of serious crimes – mostly at the urban level, coupled with the inability of traditional law enforcement to contain heightened criminality has worsened the growing feeling of insecurity felt by CARICOM citizens. Recent statistics suggest that the number of companies providing security services has grown considerably, and this dramatic growth of the private security industry definitely deserves further attention. While at the international stage, initiatives have and continue to advocate for stricter controls of these companies and their operations, the state of regulation of the industry in Trinidad and Tobago is less than desired. Employing a systemic approach, the paper assesses the dynamics of the private security industry in Trinidad and Tobago and current state of regulation.