Caribbean Journal of Criminology and Public Safety January&July, 2009. 14(1&2). 214-258. ISSN 2073 5405 © 2009 The University of Trinidad and Tobago, O’Meara Campus, Trinidad and Tobago Policy Note DEVELOPING DEMOCRATIC POLICING IN THE CARIBBEAN: THE CASE OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Nathan W. Pino Texas State University, USA This paper presents the theoretical concept of democratic policing and how this concept might be applied in practice to Trinidad and Tobago. The paper includes an assessment of the current state of policing and police reform efforts in Trinidad and Tobago. Based on this assessment, ideas on what policies might be needed in order for democratic policing to be sustainably implemented will be offered. Police reform efforts in Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Caribbean must be tailored to the economic, political, and social realities of that region, instead of a one‐size‐fits‐all approach often promoted by core Western states. In addition, a partnership between civil society, government officials, and police services should lead reform effort development and implementation, rather