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Starting September 1, the vast majority of magistrates’ courts across Trinidad and Tobago will transition back to full in-person judicial hearings, the Judiciary announced in an official statement. The only exceptions to this rollout are the Port of Spain and Scarborough district courts, which will retain their current operational arrangements through 2027 due to ongoing infrastructure works. The return to in-person proceedings is being implemented on a gradual phased schedule, designed as a core step in the Judiciary’s long-term push to expand public access to the justice system. Alongside the changes to magistrates’ courts, 15 criminal high court venues will also open for in-person hearings on the same date: 11 located in Port of Spain, three at the Princes Town Judicial Centre, and one at the Tobago High Court. Masters’ courts will operate under a temporary hybrid model for the time being, with specific administrative protocols to be determined at the local divisional level.

This planned transition follows a comprehensive nationwide assessment of judicial infrastructure led by Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh, who personally toured court facilities across Trinidad and Tobago over recent months. During these visits, the Chief Justice met with court personnel, evaluated the condition, functionality and accessibility of each building, and flagged areas in need of upgrades to meet the needs of court users, staff and judicial officers. “As we return to wider in-person hearings, it is important that our court facilities are ready to meet the needs of everyone who uses them,” Boodoosingh said, emphasizing that the shift to increased in-person proceedings must be supported by safe, fully operational and accessible spaces. “We are committed to improving the court environment and ensuring that our facilities support the effective delivery of justice,” he added. The Judiciary noted the phased rollout was developed following extensive consultations with key justice sector stakeholders, and additional details on specific local arrangements will be released in the coming weeks. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has already been notified of the changes, and is currently reallocating officers to court locations. On Monday, leadership from all 10 policing divisions was briefed, with regional assistant commissioners and divisional commanders ordered to finalize officer deployment plans ahead of the September 1 deadline.

Legal industry stakeholders have broadly welcomed the announcement, though many have called for a balanced approach that retains virtual and hybrid options for certain proceeding types. The Assembly of Central Legal Practitioners (ACLP) confirmed its support for the Judiciary’s plan, but argued that in-person hearings should be restricted primarily to trials and other matters where a presiding magistrate specifically requires physical attendance. Speaking to local outlet *Trinidad Express*, ACLP executive member and attorney Steven Mawer noted that routine case management conferences, held to update the status of cases moving toward trial, function far more efficiently in virtual or hybrid formats. “The Magistrates’ Court should be open, but in-person hearings should be limited to trial matters, or matters specifically ordered to be in person by the magistrates in charge of their respective courts,” Mawer explained.

Senior judicial figure Justice Frank Seepersad also echoed this balanced perspective, welcoming the expansion of in-person hearings while warning against abandoning the technological advances adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seepersad stressed that virtual hearings still hold an important place in the modern justice system, particularly for case management, routine procedural applications, and matters where physical attendance adds no meaningful value. However, he cautioned that efficiency cannot be the sole guiding metric for how justice is delivered. “Efficiency, however desirable, cannot be the ultimate measure of justice,” he said. Seepersad placed particular emphasis on criminal trials, where outcomes can result in loss of liberty and permanent reputational harm for accused persons. “A criminal trial is the solemn occasion upon which the coercive authority of the State is brought to bear upon the individual. Liberty, reputation and sometimes the course of an entire life may hang in the balance,” he noted. For such high-stakes proceedings, physical attendance should not be dismissed as an outdated practice, he argued, as it remains a critical safeguard for procedural fairness, human dignity and effective participation by all parties. Seepersad also highlighted the irreplaceable human element of judicial proceedings, noting that technology cannot fully replicate the empathetic dimension of in-person justice. “Justice is, after all, a human undertaking, and there is an empathetic dimension to its administration which no technology can fully replicate,” he said. He further emphasized the core principle of open justice, citing a landmark observation from the Privy Council in *Ambard v Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago* that “Justice is not a cloistered virtue.” Judicial authority depends on public scrutiny, Seepersad explained, with transparency fostering accountability and accountability sustaining public confidence in the justice system. “Justice does not derive authority from seclusion, but from its capacity to withstand scrutiny,” he said. Outlining a balanced path forward, Seepersad said the Judiciary should neither reject virtual technology nor cling blindly to traditional practices, but instead use each modality where it is most effective. “Technology must remain the servant of justice, never its master,” he concluded.

This planned transition aligns with priorities Boodoosingh laid out late last year during the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago’s annual dinner and awards ceremony. At that event, the Chief Justice identified the full reopening and maximum utilization of court buildings as a top personal priority, noting that justice inherently requires in-person human interaction. He pointed out that multiple court buildings, including the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court, have remained closed for extended periods for renovation works that have stretched to more than four years, with both costs and completion timelines ballooning over that period. Boodoosingh also restated his goal of building a more efficient, higher-performing Judiciary with shorter timelines for both hearings and final rulings, noting that all citizens have a fundamental right to have their cases heard and resolved within a reasonable timeframe, and that clear performance standards must be established to improve justice delivery across the system.

Questions over leadership continuity within the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) have emerged in recent days following the unexplained absence of Commissioner Allister Guevarro, but top government officials are moving quickly to dismiss fears of a power vacuum at the head of the national law enforcement agency.

Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander addressed growing public and political speculation during a televised interview with TV6 on Wednesday, firmly stating that the TTPS remains fully functional despite Guevarro’s unannounced leave, and that no formal crisis exists in the service’s leadership ranks. Per TTPS’s established hierarchical structure, Alexander explained, Deputy Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin — the most senior active officer on duty at present — has stepped into the role of interim leader to oversee all agency operations.

The controversy ignited after Opposition chairman Marvin Gonzales publicly questioned Guevarro’s whereabouts, and called out the Police Service Commission (PolSC) for failing to confirm whether any formal arrangement for an acting commissioner had been put in place during Guevarro’s absence. An anonymous senior police source confirmed to media outlets that Guevarro had applied for emergency leave, though the source could not verify widespread claims that the commissioner had already left the country.

In comments to the *Express* over the weekend, Benjamin himself acknowledged that while he is currently the highest-ranking serving officer in the TTPS, he has not received a formal official document appointing him to serve as acting commissioner. That revelation amplified opposition calls for clarification from the government on the TTPS’s leadership status.

Alexander pushed back against those calls on Wednesday, arguing that the TTPS’s longstanding chain of command eliminates the need for extra formal procedures during a temporary absence. “Who is next in line holds on in the interim. There’s no need for additional action,” the minister said, noting that the government and senior TTPS leadership have full confidence in Benjamin’s ability to guide the service. Alexander added that Benjamin has previously fulfilled interim leadership duties for the TTPS, and that the deputy commissioner continues to receive full support from both the government and rank-and-file officers under his command.

“As the line minister responsible for this portfolio, I can confirm that there are no issues with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service,” Alexander emphasized.

The minister also rejected opposition claims that Guevarro’s absence has left the TTPS leaderless, pointing to the agency’s deep bench of senior leadership to back up his argument. “The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has three deputy commissioners and 11 assistant commissioners of police. This is not a one-man job,” he said. Alexander added that temporary absences for senior officers are a routine occurrence across all public institutions, and the TTPS’s clear hierarchy is designed to allow other qualified leaders to step in seamlessly when needed.

“I don’t know why all this excitement,” Alexander said. “There are a number of persons in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service who from time to time would go here, there and everywhere. And even in their absence, there are persons who can replace them.”

Alexander also criticized the intense public focus on Guevarro’s personal whereabouts, arguing that even elected and appointed public officials are entitled to a reasonable degree of personal privacy. “It is almost like, when you enter public office, your personal life becomes completely public. Some things that we need to leave alone at times… And when the time comes, we will explain it all,” he said.

The minister went a step further, questioning the priorities of critics who have continued to press for details on Guevarro’s location. “There are persons who continue to ask a certain question that makes no logical sense,” Alexander said. “I often say this… there are some persons right now asking where the Commissioner is, and they don’t even know where their own children are. They’re asking where the Commissioner is, and their own boss at work is looking for them because they haven’t been seen on the job in days.”

“Some of the children are not going to school, the parents are not even asking if they went to school or not. But where is the Commissioner? The Commissioner is where he’s supposed to be,” Alexander added.

Despite Alexander’s assurances, public and political questions persist over whether a formal acting appointment is legally required for the TTPS during Guevarro’s leave. For his part, Alexander has remained firm in his position: the TTPS can continue its core public safety work through its existing command structure, and Benjamin is fully capable of leading the service until Guevarro returns.