What's the crime rate against Americans and other expats in Corozal?
Jennifer Bellerjeau - Cerros Beach Resort
I wouldn’t know the statistics for the crime rate against expats in Corozal if there is any but I can report that we haven’t had any issues here, ourselves. A few people have had issues that we know about, personally, but I think that they have brought it upon themselves by not obeying the laws here in Belize because just like in any country, if you don’t obey the laws then you’re definitely going to get your share of abuse there. People have broken the laws...I wouldn’t know the statistics for the crime rate against expats in Corozal if there is any but I can report that we haven’t had any issues here, ourselves. A few people have had issues that we know about, personally, but I think that they have brought it upon themselves by not obeying the laws here in Belize because just like in any country, if you don’t obey the laws then you’re definitely going to get your share of abuse there. People have broken the laws here in Belize with marijuana, with owning unlicensed, concealed weapons, etc. so they brought it upon themselves. We do not have bars on our windows; we are all open here. We live on the bay and we have never had any issue with anybody taking anything from us. We don’t live close to a town. People who live in town might have issues with petty theft and so that is where you would find houses with bars on the windows.
(Guest cottages at Cerros Beach Resort, Corozal, Belize, pictured.)
Posted September 26, 2016
Mark Leonard
I have lived in Cayo, Ambergis Caye, Corozal Town and now Cerros Sands. The worst crime rate in all of these by far was Ambergris Caye. In Corozal Town you would see some petty theft, like garden hoses left out may be taken. If a thief is released from jail, its not long before he goes back.
But, as Jenny mentioned in an answer here, expats bring most it on themselves. Cerros Sands on the Cerros Peninsula has one road in and of course...
I have lived in Cayo, Ambergis Caye, Corozal Town and now Cerros Sands. The worst crime rate in all of these by far was Ambergris Caye. In Corozal Town you would see some petty theft, like garden hoses left out may be taken. If a thief is released from jail, its not long before he goes back.
But, as Jenny mentioned in an answer here, expats bring most it on themselves. Cerros Sands on the Cerros Peninsula has one road in and of course is surrounded by water, which makes it very protected against crime.
Posted October 7, 2016
Stephen Honeybill - The Crimson Orchid Inn
There haven’t been any cases of crime perpetrated against an expat in the 6 years that I’ve lived here in Corozal. Corozal is a very placid town, except when you live in the town center where you may find yourself living next to someone who plays loud music, but that’s not a crime. Belizeans always play their music loud. I live in Corozal District and not in the town of Corozal. Most of the houses in Corozal Town have bars on their...
There haven’t been any cases of crime perpetrated against an expat in the 6 years that I’ve lived here in Corozal. Corozal is a very placid town, except when you live in the town center where you may find yourself living next to someone who plays loud music, but that’s not a crime. Belizeans always play their music loud. I live in Corozal District and not in the town of Corozal. Most of the houses in Corozal Town have bars on their windows and fences around their homes. This is the case in any Central American country because that’s just the way they do things. There are the” have’s” and “have-not’s,” and it’s just one of those things that one accepts if one is considering living within the Corozal Town.
I have not noticed any places in Corozal that don’t pay attention to security. I know some places on the outskirts of Corozal that don’t have bars on windows, but these places are surrounded by a high wall that is very unwise to climb because some homeowners put shards of glass along the top of these walls. That means if you’re foolish enough to somehow get to the top of the wall, you’ll end up with shredded hands anyway.
In the entire time that I’ve been here in Corozal, I have heard only one or two stories of break-ins. I live in a gated community where we have 24-hour guards, and where people don’t even lock their car doors and their houses’ front doors. This is a secure place, so there’s not a single house that has bars on the windows or doors.
(Enjoying the community at Crimson Orchid Inn, Belize, Corozal, Belize, pictured.)
Posted March 25, 2017
Ed Parrish - Dumbbell Properties, LLC
There have been a couple of incidents of crime recently in Corozal that put a lot of people off. There is some petty theft, but there's always going to be petty theft anywhere you go.What I see in the area is Belizean on Belizean crime. Generally, it is two Belizeans getting in an argument, particularly when alcohol is involved. One of them pulls out a machete and whacks the other guy with it or they come to blows.
As far as violent crime, it's almost...
There have been a couple of incidents of crime recently in Corozal that put a lot of people off. There is some petty theft, but there's always going to be petty theft anywhere you go.What I see in the area is Belizean on Belizean crime. Generally, it is two Belizeans getting in an argument, particularly when alcohol is involved. One of them pulls out a machete and whacks the other guy with it or they come to blows.
As far as violent crime, it's almost non-existent in the Corozal district. Any violent crime against expats, regardless where they're from, is very low.
My recommendation is to not isolate yourself from the community, but to integrate and get to know people. Belizeans are very friendly in general. They want to help and love the fact that expats are there investing money and giving people jobs.
Corozal is not a huge tourist area so there aren't a lot of opportunities to earn income. What you have are residents of the area, as opposed to tourists. The more development that goes on when gringos build houses, improve property, and do these sorts of things, then there are more jobs for the local Belizeans. Even if you hire a US contractor, all his labor is going to be Belizean labor. This is a nice economic benefit for the locals that they're happy about.
Once you get to know people, they begin to want to help you and look out for you. If you ask the locals, "What would you do in this situation?" They're going to tell you what they would do. It may not be exactly what you would do if you were in the US, Canada, or wherever you might have come from. However, if you're getting along in the Belizean lifestyle, then you need to listen to what the locals have to tell you and take that into consideration when you make a decision; whether it's somebody they recommended as a mechanic or someone who knows how to do electrical work.
You can also ask other expats. In many cases, we have learned our lessons the hard way and want to help our fellows who come down to Corozal by smoothing the way a little bit.
I'm much more concerned about crime in Dallas, Texas than here in Corozal, Belize. It doesn't seem to matter where you live or how nice the area is. There's going to be crime, whether it's somebody breaking into your car or breaking into your house. We are armed in Dallas, Texas and there's a reason for that. It's not legal to be armed everywhere, but in Texas it is. We do have firearms and keep them in the house for personal protection.
We do not have any weapons in Belize. If ever we do, it will be for sporting purposes. We don't ever feel threatened and even leave our houses unlocked a lot of the time. We've got great neighbors who look out for things. We also own a pack of dogs that are well taken care of and they run all over the property. Between the dogs, the neighbors, and just the fact that we're integrated into the local community, we don't feel like crime is a threat to us here in Corozal.
(Prepping the land for Ed Parrish's new home, Corozal, Belize,pictured. )
Posted September 15, 2017