Security officials for next year’s cricket World Cup aim to adopt a common approach in handling safety and protection issues from a two-day meeting which started on Monday.
Regional police commissioners and their designated security officers met with the International Cricket Council and heads of the local organising committees of the nine countries hosting matches.
Chris Dehring, the World Cup managing director and chief executive officer, went to Germany to observe the recent World Cup, and said there were similarities with the challenges faced in the Caribbean.
”The same problems we faced they faced,” Dehring said on Monday.
”The scale of relativity is that the football World Cup to Germany is a smaller task to the cricket World Cup to the Caribbean.”
He said he was heartened by how far the region’s preparations had advanced for the March-April tournament.
”Months ago, the international media was focusing on our venues and saying we weren’t able to do that in time but they are now starting to talk about operation issues because the venues are being built and they are seeing concrete and steel coming out of the ground on time and on schedule,” Dehring said.
Antigua and Barbuda police commissioner Delano Christopher said the region must work as a team and give a clear indication to international visitors that the Caribbean would be safe to visit for the tournament.
”Should anything negative happen in one of the venues it will negatively impact on the region and not on a particular island,” Christopher said. ”Hence, the working as a team is important.”
She also called on the ”stronger” Caribbean countries to help the ”weaker ones in whatever areas so that the region on a whole can come out in flying colours”.
She said the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States would still be in the minds of would-be travellers to the Caribbean.
”Unless there is some guarantee that security is in place, people will hesitate to travel,” Christopher said. – Sapa-AP