Above: Bridgetown (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Barbados “prides itself” on safety and security, Tourism Minister Richard Sealy said this week, in the wake of the shooting attack on two tourists on March 17.

United Kingdom natives Philip and Ann Prior received gunshot wounds while sightseeing in Barbados’ capital, Bridgetown. Two arrests have been made.

“I need to apologize once again to the Priors who were attacked and I am happy that an arrest has been made in this matter, Barbados prides itself on safety and security and I wish to assure everyone that the highest priority has been placed on making sure that Barbadians are not only safe, but our guests as well, through the implementation of more stringent measures across the island,” Sealy said this week to the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association.

The Minister said all tourism stakeholders must work together to “ensure that guests enjoyed the best protection.”

“The Prime Minister, the Attorney General and the leadership of the Royal Barbados Police Force, are all determined to make sure that we can rid ourselves from anything that even appears to be a spate of incidents in this sector,” he said. “We cannot afford it and I do not want anyone to think that we are anyway soft on crime.”