Money is not necessarily the cause as long as everyone is prospering. Crime is relatively low in prosperous places such as Monaco and Sweden and quality of life is high in these places. I think an influx of wealth into a poor area is likely to trigger crimes of envy. The is even more marked when there is poorly trained, ill financed and, perhaps, somewhat ineffective law enforcement (on every level). Combine this with a self interested and corrupt government and it really shouldn't come as a shock to anyone that there is an increase in crime on AC.
Allowing thugs to give the perps a kicking can help in the short term, but there is enough knowledge about this sort of 'protection' either from the Mafia in the USA or East End gangs in the UK to know that this sort of protection comes at a different price and those with the power to protect become similarly corrupt.
I realise that some people pay significant taxes in Belize, but perhaps, those who can afford it need to really think about how the community can protect itself (not just the rich on the island) and how it can help to offer those much needed choices to youth who are walking the precarious line between a useful and useless life. Most violent criminals are male between the ages of 16 and 24.
I met a guy in Belize and he had 14 siblings. Several of them were in jail and some for murder. The only reason he was not going down the same path is because he had been essentially adopted by some gringo hotel owners who were looking after him and giving him some hope. Without them, he could have easily followed the path of his brothers into hard drugs and serious crime. He did not have the benefit of an education, so what choices did he have?
Just more questions and more food for thought.
AmbergrisCaye.com 
