Crime Against Travelers: The Caribbean's Biggest Battle

Since the 1980s, the Caribbean region has beenthese crimes. Although there are several different
struggling against its own inner demon: crime. Citizenstheories about this, one thing is certain - travelers who
of the Caribbean have quickly learned that rising crimetake precautions generally do not experience such
rates on one island can negatively affect other islandsproblems during their stay.
in the vicinity. While the islands still offer some of theStaying Safe
most beautiful scenery in the world, travelers canThe best way to be safe during Caribbean travel is to
sometimes feel insecure about their surroundings,avoid making the mistakes most vacationers make -
making relaxation more of a challenge.just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you
Several recent news stories about crimes in theshouldn't be cautious. Leaving valuables in plain view in
Caribbean, including the highly covered disappearancea hotel room or rental car, leaving doors unlocked,
of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, have reigniteddisplaying too much wealth, and wearing flashy jewelry
the debate over how to keep the islands safe forare all ways to attract thieves. Remember that you
travelers. Concern for safety has even inspired aare far from home, and replacing valuables, such as a
conference in late October, the second Caribbeanstolen wallet, will be even more difficult. Take the same
Conference on Crime and Criminal Justice, and aprecautions you would take at home or in any big city
statement by the Caribbean Commissioners of Policeto avoid losing important items.
about ways travelers can stay safe. These effortsAnother way travelers can stumble upon trouble is by
are visible steps officials are taking to help travelerswalking into "bad" areas of town. It's common sense to
feel more secure about their vacations, especially asavoid walking down a dark alley in most cities, but
the Caribbean's tourist season approaches.vacationers may not always recognize a part of town
Studying Crimesthat locals know to avoid. If an area makes you feel
One of the biggest problems in studying crime amonguneasy, or would make you feel uneasy at home, it's
the islands has been that, until recently, few efforts hadprobably best to avoid that area, especially at night.
been made to distinguish crime against island residentsWomen particularly should take extra precautions at
from crime against visitors. Obtaining clear and specificnight and avoid walking alone.
crime data has become an important step towardWhile some believe that tourist-heavy areas inspire
fighting crime in the islands, and newer studies havemore crimes against tourists, these areas have
revealed that violent crimes against vacationers in theestablished more rigid security measures to help
Caribbean islands are indeed rare occurrences. Whiletravelers stay safe. It is difficult to determine whether
Jamaica, for example, may be known for its highthese areas are more or less safe than any other
murder rates, the vast majority of murders are crimeslocation. However, one certainty is that most travelers
by Jamaican nationals against Jamaican nationals.to the Caribbean have never experienced any sort of
Vacationers planning a trip to the islands are morecrime.
likely to encounter petty theft and other nonviolentTravelers who return year after year to experience all
crimes than anything else. However, as recent eventsthe Caribbean offers rarely tell stories of vacations
have shown, this is not a certainty. Some believe thatturning into horrible experiences. So with just a bit of
areas inundated with tourists have higher crime ratescaution in mind, it's still safe to relax on a Caribbean
against tourists because there are as many visitors asvacation while the island governments work to put a
residents, while others believe that the relaxed attitudestop to the troubles that can keep travelers from their
of most travelers is the main contributing factor inshores.