AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Is Ambergris Caye safe?

Sweets is right! These incidents are happening in the same area, probably the same person. Like I said, should be easy to apprehend, and still does not add up to much crime on an island full of tourists. If anyone would ask if AC is safe, I would still answer yes.

ok, Waterworld, enjoy your vacation wherever you decide to go. AC will still be the main attraction for the rest of us.

You have to live with it and learn to protect yourself from it. On an island as small as AC, the common thief is the 4th cousin from the lady that is the aunt of the sister-in-law of so and so. The island is so small, that everyone is related to everyone else. And you are not going to throw a relative off of the island.

But what I can say is that AC is by far the safest place I've ever been in the world. And I say that mainly because the good people that live on the island, do try and restrict the activities of the crooked. They know their livlihoods depend on tourism.

Is Ambergris Caye safe? What a rhetorical question. The answers are: absolutely Yes and absolutely NO.
If you choose to compare AC with the crime ridden neighborhoods of larger cities in the US, and other countries of the World, then your answer is Yes.
If you choose to compare AC with many towns and cities that have aggressively addressed their crime issues and taken the effective measures to control it, then your answer is NO.
More importantly, and how I think AC should assess the question is: How safe is AC now as compared to how it used to be and how safe is it reasonable for the residents and tourists to expect it to be?
I am not one to accept the concept that just because other places in the world are changing for the worse, it is inevitable that AC must change for the worse. I prefer the approach that if something were better at one time, there is no reason why they cannot be that way again. Especially when you are dealing with a somewhat controlled area as an island.
I can remember when San Pedro had one police man (Smitty) and his biggest challenge for the day was what to do to keep from getting bored. And if you lost your wallet or purse, whoever found it would find you the next day and return it intact with $4, $4000 or whatever was in it.
Now, probably it is unrealistic to think that we can return to that type of environment. But, I do not think that is unreasonable to expect that AC be free from murder, armed robberies and burglaries, which it is currently not. I feel a tourist should be able to walk anywhere on the island at any time without fear of being attacked. That is not the case at present. I do not think it is even unreasonable to expect to leave your golf cart unattended without having to worry about it being stolen. That is not the case, just ask the rental companies how many get taken on any given weekend.
What concerns me most, and this post is an example if you see some of the responses to the question, is that they are many on AC that are unwilling to accurately identify the level of crime that exists on AC. They are either in denial or possibly feel that by openly addressing the problem it will have a negative effect on tourism. Not being involved in tourism and approaching the question from the perspective of one who lives on AC for half the year, I would prefer it be accurately assessed and measures put in place to make AC a place closer to what it used to be. I also feel this is in the best interest of tourism in the long run.
I don't think the statistics are available, but if they were I am afraid a completely accurate assessment of the crime on AC and in San Pedro would show an alarming rate of increase. If you want to talk comparisons, I would not be surprised to see that San Pedro would have one of the highest rates of increase of most anywhere. Granted, this is because San Pedro had such a low or non-existent crime rate at one time. You hardly ever heard of a theft let alone murder or armed robbery. Not the case today. Those are undeniable facts.
That gets me back to my point. I hope all those who care about AC will not take the approach that just because AC is better than most places, we are willing to accept that we should not carry money with us or wear our watches or walk the beaches at night. That is not how AC used to be and that is not how AC has to be.

word

Wes, if you are interested in those two places (a mistake for you IMNSHO) then you should consider that Capt. Morgan's has a pool, whereas Portofino does not.

And you should also know, that I have walked all over San Pedro, at all hours of the day and night, sober and somewhat to less than sober, with friends and without. I've even walked many, many times at night past the spot between Crazy Canuks and the Yacht Club. Nary a problem as yet, but I had also noticed that it might not be the greatest place for me to be alone in the dark.

You just need to keep alert, walk with authority and as if you know exactly where you are going and that it is obvious to anyone watching you that you are wary. Don't look like a victim and chances are good that you won't be.

Bad things can happen to us at home too, when we least expect it.

Like I said before, there are places here at home, that I wouldn't walk around at night with $400 in my wallet. Heck, I wouldn't walk around them at night with $4 in my wallet. Just be careful, just like you would be at home.

Wes, In reply to your question, he approached from the street side of the beach, and said, "Excuse me, guys, I need your cooperation." At that time the machete was hidden behind him, tucked in his pants. We tried to walk around him, and that's when he brought the knife out. Then he said "You're going to give me all your money." His voice was just at a normal tone and very calm, until we started to argue with him and tell him we didn't have any money.

And to clarify for some of the earlier posts, we didn't wait til the next day to report the crime, but we were asked by the police to go to the police station the next day to "file for a police report." Which brings up a whole other subject - has anyone ever been in the police station in San Pedro? One of the most run-down buildings on the island. Very few of the officers have uniforms, their radios are in bad condition, and they have very little equipment. I had brought down school supplies for the children, but it crossed my mind that equipment and supplies for the police station may have been a better idea. They are clearly underfunded. We had to return to the station each day for 3 days in a row to finally get an official copy of the police report, but you could hardly blame them for being inefficient. Luckily our "case" was handled by a very nice, hard working officer. I think his name was Marshall York. I think they have stepped up security a bit after this recent "rash" of robberies south of town, because we saw officers walking the beaches most evenings after the night we were robbed.

And I do want to restate that I agree with most of you. AC is a safe place. You run a risk of this sort of thing happening anytime you travel, and for many of us, when you think of it, the risk of being robbed is there even when you are at home. You just have to be ready for it, the "fake wallet" is a great idea, and insurance always helps (so the watch we lost is replaceable). In the end, we felt that the robbery was almost an integral part of our trip, as it let us see a differnt side of the culture that we would not have seen otherwise, and we are hopefully wiser for it now. AND, in dealing with a machete, we are glad we only lost a watch and not an appendage or something less replaceable.

Wes, don't think you're safer just because you're further from town. I've walked the beach path from Capt Morgans towards town in the afternoon and run into some scary looking characters. Nothing bad ever happened but it made me nervous. Considering your age and that you'll likely be travelling alone, I recommend staying somewhere closer to town where it's easier to make friends who can watch out for you. Captain Morgans is nice, but it's not a great place for singles. Heed the advice of the experienced travelers on this board. They know what they're talking about.

Oh Zoe, that's still a very scary story. I do so admire the attitude you've taken to it though. Good for you.

It's a sad indictment when a travel writter suggest people do not walk the beach at night and people start choosing their hotels based on which is the safest.

A local San Pedrano friend told me he lost three bikes in one month due to theft. He told me never leave any equiptment such as fishing gear, and snorkeling gear onboard on his sailboat. You can't leave anything alone anymore. ms.