ABC News on the (Possible?) Dangers of Belize

[Rusty Roo]

i'm sure if you googled it, the stats would show you're more likely to be run over by a car on your way to work than be kidnapped, murdered, raped whilst on holiday.

when things like this are discussed i always remember what the joker in dark night told me. "so long as it's all part of the plan" ie if someone dies in a car crash, is it newsworthy? no, unless it's a celebrity i guess.....

However if someone is killed in a yoga resort by "foreigners" then it is news worthy.

 

[drbill]

I worked on a boat (Lindblad Expeditions) based in Belize City for 4 weeks and dove there alone for an additional two out on Caye Caulker. The crew was told never to enter the city alone, always go in groups. I did spend one night alone out on a dock waiting for a zodiac to come pick me up and take me to the boat. Fortunately I didn't encounter any problems back then (about 10 years ago). We did go into several towns outside of Belize City without incident, but then we were in groups.

I don't know if the situation there has changed in the last decade plus.

 

[AWMIII]

The entire country of Belize has a population of 10 percent of Chicago. Comparing murder rates between the places makes no sense as the statistics do not line up. Is Belize dangerous? Probably, but no so much because of the crime. It is more dangerous than the US because the US has spent the last 100 years trying to remove all danger from the country. The ramp over the seawall in front of the Diamante project is a good example. It is a public throughfare with a rotting, rickety, slippery plywood ramp. It has been there for a year or two without any repair. If that were the US, the ramp would be ADA accessible and designed to last 50 years even if it is temporary. The taxis in Belize would not be allowed to be farm trucks in many places in the US. You can literally see the street under your feet. The BOTTLED water was contaminated a few months ago. Ever ride the Coastal Express at night in a thunder storm? How about bouncing over the big bumps down the runway at Caye Caulker? Free climb a mile underground in a cave? Things like this are the real dangers in Belize. If you cant accept those, then it is the wrong place for you. The murder rate is practically irrelevant.

 

[Downing]

As with so many things, a little common sense goes a long way. Don't put yourself in dangerous situations and chances are you won't run into danger.

It's an unfortunate fact, though, that single women have to be extra careful wherever they go. This particular incident happened well away from Belize City, which is why it is so surprising. Once I'm out of Belize City, pretty much the only thing I worry about is property crime because that can happen anywhere. I've walked around the historic core of the city by myself several times, but only either early in the morning or during the hustle and bustle of the day. Even then, I stick to the main streets, stay out in the open as much as possible and try to blend in rather than bring attention to myself.

Going out at night there, by myself or even with a group, would be practically suicidal.

 

[mmmbelows]

As with so many things, a little common sense goes a long way. Don't put yourself in dangerous situations and chances are you won't run into danger.

Like doing Yoga at your resort.

 

[mmmbelows]

The murder rate is practically irrelevant.

Unless your name is Anne Elizabeth McComb Swaney

 

[mmmbelows]

The entire country of Belize has a population of 10 percent of Chicago. Comparing murder rates between the places makes no sense as the statistics do not line up.

Let's forget about Chicago and focus on this instead:

>>> "The Belize murder rate is third highest in the world."

 

[Hank49]

Third? Wow, We were only at 8 just a few years ago. Yeah, people here don't play. It's not uncommon to hear that some guys were drinking, got in a fight and one guy chops the other guy with a machete. Not like the good ole days in the corn fields of Ohio. Go out and beat on each other then go back and drink more beer. I never go to bars here. And I hope my sons and daughters don't either.

 

[KathyV]

The entire country of Belize has a population of 10 percent of Chicago. Comparing murder rates between the places makes no sense as the statistics do not line up... The murder rate is practically irrelevant.

"Chicago has a homicide rate of 15.1/100 thousand and the Belize rate is 40/100 thousand residents so it is more than double."

We are talking about the murder rate per 100 thousand people, using a rate normalizes the data and makes it comparable between locations with widely varying populations. The bottom line is that you are 2.6 times more likely to be murdered in Belize than in Chicago, although I am sure that it is still a rare occurrence, thankfully. But that rate surprised me because I have always thought of the big city of Chicago as a potentially dangerous place while Belize seemed like a safer, more idyllic place - but apparently I was wrong.

Again I repeat that no place is guaranteed safe and you have to be careful wherever you go in the world. But the ABC News producer was on the resort property, in a rural area during the daylight hours when she was brutally murdered for no obvious reason - and that is surprising to me.

 

[Downing]

Well, if you exclude BZ City and compare the rest of the country to Chicago, especially the neighborhoods on the south side, then Belize is a far safer, more idyllic place. That's what's especially troubling, and surprising, about this case. Ms. Swaney was murdered in an area normally thought of as being very safe.

And because what passes for the police force in Belize has practically zero resources (seriously, they can't even afford the gas it takes to go on patrol), there's a good chance the killer's going to get away with it. And that's scary because once a person murders someone, it becomes much easier to do it again.