What’s the crime rate against Americans and other expats in Belize?
Giancarlo Vega
The crime rate against Americans in Belize is quite a difficult question to answer, because overall, Belize has a population of less than half a million people.
So if you compare the crime rate in Belize to other countries that have many millions more in population, our crime rate per capita will seem high, because our population is so low. So here in Belize, if you have the odd ten persons out of our population that commit a crime, it makes it look like...
The crime rate against Americans in Belize is quite a difficult question to answer, because overall, Belize has a population of less than half a million people.
So if you compare the crime rate in Belize to other countries that have many millions more in population, our crime rate per capita will seem high, because our population is so low. So here in Belize, if you have the odd ten persons out of our population that commit a crime, it makes it look like we have more crime than we actually do. So from my perspective I would say that the crime rate is quite low, and it is not as big as they are saying on the news.
Comparing the crime rates in Costa Rica to the crime rate in Belize, I would say that the crime rate in Costa Rica is much worse than in Belize.
The crime rate against expats is at the same level as the crime rate against Belizeans. There is no difference in the system. It is the same thing for everyone. Most of the crimes in Belize are just stealing. There is not really much violent crime here in Belize.
Posted December 1, 2014
Walter T. (Tom) Fisher - Corozal Belize Properties
There are no statistics that I know of that specifically address the crime rate against Americans and expats here in Belize. With that said, here are some of my thoughts on the subject. While crimes do exist against expats, personal choices can do a lot to mitigate risk factors here. A lot of the murders here are gang related, drug related, etc. But, crimes can and do happen against expats. Here are some thoughts on the ways to minimize your risks. In Consejo,...
There are no statistics that I know of that specifically address the crime rate against Americans and expats here in Belize. With that said, here are some of my thoughts on the subject. While crimes do exist against expats, personal choices can do a lot to mitigate risk factors here. A lot of the murders here are gang related, drug related, etc. But, crimes can and do happen against expats. Here are some thoughts on the ways to minimize your risks. In Consejo, we have a very active Neighborhood Watch. These exist in other parts of Belize as well. Having neighbors watch out for one another, reporting suspicious activity, and making choices like having a dog (or two), or an alarm system, a safe, etc, go a long way to deterring crime. A widely used alarm system here is made by Skylink. It's in the $125-200 USD range depending on options, easy to install and well, does the job. We've never had a home with it successfully broken into.
We had one successful break in at our community in the last year. The person was known to have spread it around they were leaving, had workers in the house in the days leading up to leaving, (they knew, too!) had recently purchased new electronics and TV, small appliances, etc. No alarm, etc. Easy target. The good news is the Corozal Police Department with the help of Neighborhood Watch, solved the crime. The individual responsible was sentenced to several years in Hattieville Prison. It helps to have a neighborhood known to be vigilant against crime. But even so, you never want to be the "easy target", or the "last gazelle in the herd."
My grandmother used tell us as kids, "if you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas". It was an admonishment to the kinds of friends you should keep, the kinds of associations you should make, etc. Got it, grandma. But, must say, that's also a factor here. If you hang out in sketchy bars, engage in illegal drug use, etc., the risk fact to you personally of being a victim of crime is significantly higher. Same as anywhere.
Oh yea, sell the expensive jewelry, and don't carry huge wads of cash. It seems sometimes people get "south of the border", and check their common sense at the border as well. Bring it with you. You'll need it.
(House and compound fronted by Corozal Bay, pictured.)
Posted April 30, 2015
Phil Hahn - Carmelita Gardens
The crime rate against Americans and other expats in Belize is less than the crime rate for Belizeans committing crimes against other Belizeans. That said, Americans and other expats are not being targeted in Belize, per se. What you’ll find are crimes of opportunity. Somebody that is really flashy and a braggadocio going around with lots of money, in fancy cars, etc., is going to make himself a target. That’s a shame.
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The crime rate against Americans and other expats in Belize is less than the crime rate for Belizeans committing crimes against other Belizeans. That said, Americans and other expats are not being targeted in Belize, per se. What you’ll find are crimes of opportunity. Somebody that is really flashy and a braggadocio going around with lots of money, in fancy cars, etc., is going to make himself a target. That’s a shame.
Also, from my perspective, I just think that acting like that is rude when coming to a country where people just scrape and get by. There is no abject property here. There is nobody starving. There are no distended bellies. Everyone has plenty to eat, but these are not people of great means, either. When there are economic hard times, I think it is just rude to flash your wealth in someone’s face who is not doing well
Then you’ll hear that someone got robbed. Well, why do robbers rob banks? It’s because that’s where the money is. If everybody knows where the money is then the ne-er-do-wells are going to know where the money is as well and you make yourself a target.
t’s not really any different than anywhere else in the world, but it obviously tends to make more news. The per capita statistics for crime don’t look too good for Belize, because there isn’t that large a population. However, their per capita statistics for good things looks very good. For example, charitable organizations, environmental organizations in Belize per capita is maybe one of the highest in the world. On a per capita basis, that’s what happens when you are a country with 350,000 people.
We drive a Toyota Forerunner. It’s a nice car and it looks good. We live in a nice, 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house and have flat screen TVs and things like that but we go out and slap guys on the back that could be the homeless guy down on Burns Avenue. I say, “Hey Jim, how’s it going? Good to see you.” In contrast, if you’re the “Ugly American” out there and you’re rude to people and you have a lot of “bling bling,” you will not be treated nicely. But if you show yourself as just a “Regular Joe”, then people like and respect you and they will actually watch out for you.
Emma, my wife’s cousin, has been coming down for years and years. She’s a beautiful young lady. They look at her like she’s a Barbie doll. She holds her own. She doesn’t let anybody push her around, but she is so nice and so polite to everybody that they look out for her. They treat her like a local and that’s the kind of friendly, hospitable people Belizeans are. If you want respect, you give respect and in Belize, it’s all about respect.
One thing that I learned a couple of years ago is when you are in touristy areas, you’re going to find, unlike the rest of the country, that there will be some panhandlers. This just happens in the high tourist areas. When you are sitting at a table, and somebody comes up to the table trying to panhandle, just look them right in the eye and say, “Respect brother. Respect.” They know immediately what you are saying. It’s like you’re telling them to respect your time and privacy and that you also respect them. It’s just a simple word like that, and then they move on.
(Belizean boys on a boat, pictured.)
Posted May 9, 2015
Karen Wilkinson
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have had one incident in my own community that has yet to be resolved but I have to say in that overall, any crime against Americans or other expats in Belize is miniscule compared to things that happen Belizean to Belizean. You get a lot of press when something happens to an expat.
In order to avoid crime, situational awareness is key, and there are a lot of areas that are less desirable to be in by yourself. You should not go around...
have had one incident in my own community that has yet to be resolved but I have to say in that overall, any crime against Americans or other expats in Belize is miniscule compared to things that happen Belizean to Belizean. You get a lot of press when something happens to an expat. In order to avoid crime, situational awareness is key, and there are a lot of areas that are less desirable to be in by yourself. You should not go around...
I have had one incident in my own community that has yet to be resolved but I have to say in that overall, any crime against Americans or other expats in Belize is miniscule compared to things that happen Belizean to Belizean. You get a lot of press when something happens to an expat.
In order to avoid crime, situational awareness is key, and there are a lot of areas that are less desirable to be in by yourself. You should not go around wearing diamond or gold around your neck, or Rolex watches and flashing diamonds. It’s just not prudent.
Belize is a very small country and sometimes the crime rate based on the population looks high. I have never had an instance in my 8 years here where I have felt threatened, ever. Our community is a little different in that we have a good basic mix of people. There are a lot of Asians, there are a lot of Belizeans and there are a lot of expats. And the combination is brilliant.
I live in Consejo Shores in the Corozal District in Northern Belize and our sister community, which is slightly newer and a little smaller than Consejo, is a place called Mayan Seaside. From Mayan Seaside, you can walk directly across the bay at the city of Chetumal. At night, the city lights are on and it’s absolutely a stunning view.
We do have bars on our windows but it is not for the purpose that a lot of people think. There are homes here that are much over 30 years old and at the time those homes were built, they were kind of in the middle of nowhere. Every time you are out in the middle of nowhere, you become a high value target for crime because there is no one around you and there is no support network. That obviously has changed as the years have progressed but the bars also provide another service that a lot of people don’t think of. When we have storms, there is a lot of flying debris. You want to protect your windows. The bars do that. So the bars were installed not only to keep people out but in the event of a storm, it is to keep debris and big objects coming from through your windows, like coconuts!
have had one incident in my own community that has yet to be resolved but I have to say in that overall, any crime against Americans or other expats in Belize is miniscule compared to things that happen Belizean to Belizean. You get a lot of press when something happens to an expat. In order to avoid crime, situational awareness is key, and there are a lot of areas that are less desirable to be in by yourself. You should not go around wearing diamond or gold around your neck, or Rolex watches and flashing diamonds. It’s just not prudent.
Belize is a very small country and sometimes the crime rate based on the population looks high. I have never had an instance in my 8 years here where I have felt threatened, ever. Our community is a little different in that we have a good basic mix of people. There are a lot of Asians, there are a lot of Belizeans and there are a lot of expats. And the combination is brilliant.
I live in Consejo Shores in the Corozal District in Northern Belize and our sister community, which is slightly newer and a little smaller than Consejo, is a place called Mayan Seaside. From Mayan Seaside, you can walk directly across the bay at the city of Chetumal. At night, the city lights are on and it’s absolutely a stunning view.
We do have bars on our windows but it is not for the purpose that a lot of people think. There are homes here that are much over 30 years old and at the time those homes were built, they were kind of in the middle of nowhere. Every time you are out in the middle of nowhere, you become a high value target for crime because there is no one around you and there is no support network. That obviously has changed as the years have progressed but the bars also provide another service that a lot of people don’t think of. When we have storms, there is a lot of flying debris. You want to protect your windows. The bars do that. So the bars were installed not only to keep people out but in the event of a storm, it is to keep debris and big objects coming from through your windows, like coconuts!
(Pictured: walking through the jungle in Belize, coconut trees and all.)
Posted May 29, 2015
Saira Mahabir - Century 21 Belize
The crime rate in Belize is extremely different depending on where you are in the country. Crime in Belize City is definitely higher than anywhere else in the country. You will find places in Belize where you will rarely hear about anything bad happening. For example, in San Ignacio, you may hear about a crime of passion where a boyfriend killed a girlfriend, or something like that. On the Cayes, you will find one or two crimes such as robberies but...
The crime rate in Belize is extremely different depending on where you are in the country. Crime in Belize City is definitely higher than anywhere else in the country. You will find places in Belize where you will rarely hear about anything bad happening. For example, in San Ignacio, you may hear about a crime of passion where a boyfriend killed a girlfriend, or something like that. On the Cayes, you will find one or two crimes such as robberies but it is nothing big to talk about. The crime rate is high in Belize City because of gang-related incidents.
There is hardly any crime in Belize related to civilians. It is more gang-related. If you are in Belize City and you are not related to any gang, you are pretty safe. I have been living here in Belize City for a long time. I am not involved in any gang and I feel pretty safe. Belize City is the least safe part of the country, but I do not feel threatened by any means. You will not find people who are targeting civilians. Most of the crimes here are gang-related.
(Carved swans on a balcony in Belize City, Belize, pictured.)
Posted August 24, 2015
Jestine Dawson - AQ Belize Car Rental
The crime rate in Belize seems very high when you hear it from national media but from the point of view of the community, it doesn’t seem very high.Most of the crimes that happen here are gang-related where one gang attacks the other. The crime happens in their circle and they don’t really spread that retaliation or anger towards other people. So if you are an expat it is pretty safe.
When I have guests who are expats here in Belize, I always tell them...
The crime rate in Belize seems very high when you hear it from national media but from the point of view of the community, it doesn’t seem very high.Most of the crimes that happen here are gang-related where one gang attacks the other. The crime happens in their circle and they don’t really spread that retaliation or anger towards other people. So if you are an expat it is pretty safe.
When I have guests who are expats here in Belize, I always tell them to treat people with respect. If you see someone who doesn’t look too pleasant, do not glance at him as if he is dangerous. Just say “hi” or “good morning” just as you would to anyone. Most of the time, it softens their heart. Even if they are set out to rob somebody today who is going to pay a bill, a simple “hi” or “good morning” could change their perspective. There are dangerous parts of Belize City, where gang members live. I walk around that neighborhood, greet them just as I would greet anybody, and I feel safe. The moment you do not give respect to them like they do not matter in the society is when they start getting hostile feelings towards you as a person.
We are a car rental business. We rent out about 25 cars a day, and most of them are to tourists or expats from the US or Canada. They are usually people who come to Belize to look for real estate and different retirement options. I have not heard of any complaints from them about getting attacked or threatened here in Belize. Most of them tell us about the different ways they are welcomed by locals here in Belize but I have not heard of anybody who has been attacked. When they come to our company, we tell our guests to relax and not be scared because when you go around feeling scared, you tend to invite bad things towards you. Someone might be looking at you as you go around and see that you are scared and you are an easy target. So my advice is to go out there, relax, meet people with an open heart and you should be welcome in the community.
(Jestine Dawson at work at A Belize Car Rental, Belize City, Belize pictured.)
Posted January 22, 2016