Robust security for ICC Men’s T/20 World Cup 2024

As the Caribbean gears up to host the International Cricket Council’s Men’s Twenty/20 World Cup, organisers are assuring that security will be a top priority.

The matter of security was placed at the forefront last week, after a document was circulated on social media in Barbados, that CARICOM, through its Implementation Agency for Crime and Security(IMPACS) had garnered information of a potential security threat to the tournament from Pro-Islamists.

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley, head of national security in the two-island republic, and chairman of the CARICOM prime ministerial subcommittee on cricket, in an interview with the Trinidad

Express disclosed that the regional and international security apparatus was working to combat any security threat that could potentially disrupt the tournament.

“Unfortunately, the threat of terrorism in its many and varied expressions is an ever-present danger in the world of the 21st century”,Rowley said.

“It is against this backdrop that all nations, like our region, when hosting large or vulnerable gatherings, make an extra effort in national security preparations and response readiness to take seriously, all threats, expressed or implied…Given the fact that bad actors can choose to misbehave in any way possible it makes it virtually impossible to completely seal off all opportunities,” the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister was quoted as saying.

Rowley thus assured, “However, in order to ameliorate these dangers, we at the local and regional levels have remained alert to many threats and, singularly or together, have our intelligence and other security agencies working to protect the population in countries and at venues throughout the tournament”.

Furthermore, Cricket West Indies and the ICC, the sport’s global governing body in a joint statement said that “robust security plans” have been put in place for the June 1 to 29, 2024 tournament.

St Vincent and the Grenadines is among six Caribbean countries slated to host matches in the tournament. The others are Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda as well as Barbados.

The Caribbean co-hosts the tournament with the USA, where three cities- New York, Florida and Texas, will stage matches.

Twenty teams will compete for honours in the largest ICC T/20 Tournament in its history. England are the defending champions.