Barbados Minister knocks media's coverage of crime

A junior government minister in Barbados has accused the media of giving a false impression of crime in the country.

Minister of State in the Office of the Attorney General with responsibility for Crime Prevention, Corey Lane says crime has been relatively stable over the years and the perception that crime is high is largely due to media reports.

He added that he was not asking the media to "hide anything".

Lane, who compared the island's crime statistics to those in neighbouring islands, said Barbados was among the safest, but suggested that media reports had inflated the issue.