People can feel safe at Festival – Hodge Smith

Despite public concern about rising gun crime in the territory, Junior Minister for Tourism and Culture Luce Hodge Smith has assured residents and visitors that the Virgin Islands remains a safe destination, especially during the upcoming August Emancipation Festival.

Speaking during a live broadcast of Virgin Islands Voice, Hodge Smith addressed the recent spike in gun-related incidents and called for peaceful conflict resolution.

“One gun crime is too many, and we have had quite a bit of gun crimes in our community, a little too often,” she stated.

Still, she maintained that the territory is generally safe and continues to welcome tourists and returning Virgin Islanders.

“We are a relatively safe community, nothing to have persons who want to visit our country or our territory for vacation or to do business, that they need to be that fearful. We welcome them, and I think that, you know, they could still feel safe coming here,” she explained.

Addressing safety during the Emancipation Festival, scheduled from July 25 to August 9, Hodge Smith said robust security measures will be in place as in previous years. “We do have security measures in place, and we have the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force who actually are on the site in the village, and they’re also private security personnel who give extra security services to ensure that we do have a safe festival,” she stated.

She noted that unless specific threats are reported, the usual level of security will be maintained. “We don’t necessarily feel that persons will feel threatened unless there is a threat that’s brought to our attention,” she said.