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Caribbean cruise safety questioned
Repeated reports of violence during Caribbean cruises have led to a common question: is the area safe?
Among incidents: 18 cruise passengers were robbed at gunpoint in the Bahamas.
Such violent crimes are still rare, but on the other hand.
“Crime, in one form or another, is rising in Bermuda, Belize, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago, based on a review of the State Department’s consular information sheets, which provide data on safety and other issues in foreign countries,” says The New York Times.
Crime also continues to be an issue in places such as the Dominican Republic, where pickpocketing and mugging are the most common crimes against tourists.
The State Department acknowledges the upswing but points out that travelers can fall victim to theft and other crimes in their home cities. “Crime happens everywhere,” said Drew Haldane of the office of American Citizens Services.
What is different, though, is how those crimes are handled. “Law enforcement, especially in the Caribbean, does not necessarily have the resources or response that you might expect in the US,” Haldane said.
The Caribbean is aware of its crime problems and is trying to get them under control, according to the Times.
In Jamaica, for example, where the Tourist Board says crimes against tourists amount to less than 1 percent of overall crime, some police have been relieved from desk duties in recent weeks so that more officers can patrol the streets this winter season and beyond.
Various Caribbean countries have implemented new plans to better cope, so the bottom line perhaps is that crime is no worse in the Caribbean than elsewhere.
By David Wilkening
David
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