Police in Aruba.
ORANJESTAD--The Aruba Police Force KPA on Tuesday made a third arrest in the case of severe abuse of a Canadian cruise passenger on the parking lot next to the harbour in Oranjestad on December 26, 2022.
The first suspect had been detained by police on December 30, and on Monday, a second suspect was arrested. The KPA and the Ministry of Justice are taking the severe abuse of the Canadian cruise tourist very seriously. “Tourists need to feel safe when they are in Aruba on vacation. We are not tolerating this violence.”
On December 26, three persons attacked a cruise passenger on a parking lot next to the harbour and severely abused him. The Canadian man was on a cruise on Voyager of the Seas, together with his wife and three children. The man was hospitalised with serious injuries.
Detectives and several other police units were put on the case immediately after the attack, and authorities decided to give the case top priority. “We don’t tolerate that our only economic pillar, tourism, is being damaged by a few persons who committed this crime. Visitors need to feel safe,” stated KPA officials at a press conference on Tuesday.
While his men were searching for the possible suspects, Police Chief Ramon Arnhem stayed in touch with the victim’s family to keep them informed and he contacted Canadian authorities to inform them of the developments in this case.
Aruba Justice Minister Rocco Tjon expressed his deep concerns about the incident. “Recently, a highly lamentable incident took place where a cruise tourist was the victim of physical aggression which left him severely injured. The Police Force took immediate action and we now have three detentions in this case,” stated Tjon in a press release on Wednesday.
“This case is lamentable seeing the sensitivity and severity of the situation, whereby not only physical damage was caused to a person, but which also has consequences for Aruba’s tourism. Aruba is known as one of the safest islands in the Caribbean and these kinds of criminal acts can damage Aruba’s positive image,” he stated.
Tjon said that his ministry made all means available to resolve this case, while strongly condemning these acts and emphasising that security threats against the people and visitors of Aruba were not tolerated in any form. The minister commended the KPA for its good work in making prompt arrests and in how it tended to the victim’s family.
