This past Friday, Beverly Nicholson-Doty (U.S.V.I. Commissioner or Tourism) and Police Commissioner Novelle E. Francis, Jr. met with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association to share information on enhanced safety and security measures. In the wake of the July 12 shooting at Coki Point which resulted in the tragic death of a 14 year old cruise passenger, it has become even clearer that steps need to be taken to increase the safety of visitors as well as residents.
According to a press statement issued by the Virgin Islands Department of tourism, the Virgin Islands Police Department has increased the police presence in tourist areas. In other words you’ll see more officers at the cruise port, historical attractions, popular sightseeing spots and the beaches. This is definitely a step in the right direction. The Coki Point area (where the shooting took place) in particular has been targeted for cleanup.
In addition to the above mentioned changes there will be more careful monitoring of visitor movement and the 24 hour surveillance cameras in town will be upgraded and constantly monitored. Anyone taking a cruise to St. Thomas in the near future will notice that Department of tourism greeters will be available at the Cruise Port in order to answer any questions you may have.
While I won’t pretend that crime and violence in the Caribbean is unheard of, incidents of this magnitude are an abnormal occurrence. Violence happens everywhere and although we label these areas as paradise they too are subject to the same problems that plague the rest of the world. Much like Aruba and the Natalee Holloway tragedy, the powers that be realize that headlines like this can completely destroy their main industry, which in turns would kill their economy. There are too many islands which have everything St. Thomas offers and too much at stake for there to be anything but swift and decisive actions to improve safety, we will all be watching how this situation shakes out.
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