We are often asked by our potential guests
“Will I be safe on my holiday in Jamaica?”
At a recent meeting of the tourism sector within Port Antonio, our local Tourism Police Liaison Officer reported on the release of Jamaica’s crime rates for 2009. In total there were 79 tourist related crimes that were reported on the island, and these related to theft & sexual abuse. Only 2 of these were reported in Port Antonio itself where Mocking Bird Hill is located. To put this in context there were 3403 incidents of pick-pocketing in London, 128 of which were committed against tourists. We always advise our guests to pay the same vigilance as they do at home even though one is on holiday.
There were 1200 murders, 9 of which were in the parish of Portland that related to either domestic crime or disputes amongst neighbours. This reflects murders in New York where less than 30% are committed by someone unknown to the victim. There were no incidents of murder committed against tourists to Jamaica. Currently topping the hot spot for crime within the Caribbean is Trinidad & Tobago as reported by the Barbados Newspaper, The Nation.
Sadly last year like the rest of the world Jamaica encountered a rise in shooting & knifing within schools in which children have been killed. We also encountered a rise in break-ins due to the economic recession.
