REGIONAL police commissioners - apparently disturbed by the disappearance of an American girl in Aruba - have urged visitors to the Caribbean to employ "common sense safety" practices to avoid becoming victims of similar crimes. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway disappeared nearly four weeks ago while on a school trip to the Dutch Caribbean island. "We encourage our visitors to employ common sense safety practices while in the Caribbean, always being aware of one's surroundings, securing valuables and not opening hotel room doors to strangers to name a few," the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) said in a statement yesterday. "We also wish to emphasise the need for citizens and visitors alike to employ simple and sensible safety precautions that will avert the possibility of them becoming victims of criminal elements in our midst, wherever we may be," the statement said. Yesterday, the ACCP emphasised the importance of the safety of visitors to the region, saying the Caribbean has "worked fiercely to deserve our image as a safe haven for our visitors and will continue to employ every effort and resource available to maintain and protect our visitors, our residents, our borders and our tourism product." The ACCP said, however, that persons whose duties are to inform and educate the public on developments regarding crime should do so responsibly. "Incidents of criminal acts should never be promoted or presented as the everyday reality of life in a particular region or jurisdiction, when this is not in fact the experience of many who live and visit these locations," the association said. Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com