Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Concerned Over Security Preparations for ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup

The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has expressed “serious” concerns for the country’s tourism and investment reputation should the recent spate of armed robberies and burglaries re-emerge during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in June.

“This is a serious concern because if it does happen, you have people here from all over the world. Barbados isn’t just cricket,” BCCI President James Clarke told Barbados TODAY on Wednesday.

“Barbados is on display as a country, as a nation, and certainly things like this, while they can and do happen all over the world, it is something that would reflect very poorly on us as a nation as these types of things are going on. So, I would expect the security during World Cup time is going to be especially tight.”

Barbados will be hosting nine matches, including the final on June 29 at the regional cricket mecca, Kensington Oval.

The chamber president said he is also worried about the impact these types of crimes could have on residents and businesses.

“Any time you are having an armed robbery situation, there is always that risk of somebody getting hurt or worse; and that is the primary concern for anybody in any business place.

“The last thing you want,” the business leader said, “is any of your staff or any customer or anybody for that matter, getting hurt or worse. So that is obviously a big concern.”

Clarke also pointed out that some types of businesses, by their very nature, cannot necessarily have the doors kept locked all of the time.

“So, therefore, people would likely need to engage the services of manned security, in addition to their recording security.”

He suggested that those businesses would also need to examine their cash management processes and take advantage of cash collection services where people don’t have to leave but can have the money transferred to commercial banks.

Clarke also had some timely security advice for operators of businesses that could help prevent potential robberies or burglaries.

“Also, people have to engage in situational awareness, be very aware of who is around them, what are they doing, what are their actions like, do they look like they are genuine customers, or do they look like they are just checking out the place,” he said.

The businessman also recommended that staff look out for distractions while dealing with customers.