He said the gang leaders who’re being targeted are very big players in the drug trade and other criminal activity and are highly sophisticated, with rankings, street status, personal creeds, colours and dress codes.

Ramlogan said it was therefore a misconception that law enforcement authorities were not going after the people at the top of the crime chain.

“People seem to think that these gang leaders and these gangs are small fries. I don’t know where they get that idea from, they’re not. The gangs that we are after are big fish. The gang leaders are very big fish and the money that they trade in and the illegal activities that they are involved in makes them very big fish,” he said at yesterday’s press briefing.

Since the state of emergency took effect at midnight on Sunday, 315 people have been detained, including 12 murder suspects, and Ramlogan said it was “phenomenal” that four people were being arrested every hour.

Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs said the leader of a gang from East Trinidad – one of 115 gang members held so far – was arrested in Tobago.

He said the arrest in the sister isle highlighted that the security services were targeting the entire country.

“For those individuals that think they can escape the net that we are putting out there I just want to say go ahead and try, we are going to come after you and go after you wherever we need to,” Gibbs said.

Meantime, the Attorney General has assured that there will be enough room to house those people who have been arrested.

He said a committee had been set up with representatives from the prison, police, army and the Ministry of National Security regarding capacity at the country’s jails.