This is from the "Visit TCI" page and it is surprisingly frank:
Safety and Crime | Visit Turks and Caicos Islands
Are the Turks and Caicos Islands 'safe'?
Yes and no. It depends on what you consider to be safe, what exactly you choose to do on your vacation, when you do it, and how you do it.
The Turks and Caicos Islands is one of the safest countries in the Caribbean and overall crime is equitable with large North American cities such as New York or Miami. However, being one of the safest Caribbean countries doesn't necessarily mean a lot when you're competing with the significant crime problems of places such as Jamaica or the Bahamas.
The Turks and Caicos has several inhabited islands. The vast majority of crime occurs on the main populated island of Providenciales.
The islands of
North and Middle Caicos,
South Caicos,
Salt Cay and the smaller cays see very little crime against visitors.
Much of the information on this page mainly concerns
Providenciales.
Crimes against Tourists
Crime against tourists definitely occurs in the Turks and Caicos. The country received 1,407,313 visitors in 2014. 971,838 of these were cruise ships guests who only visit for a few hours on
Grand Turk. Very little crime is committed against Grand Turk
cruise ship visitors.
Of the 435,475 non-cruise guests, nearly all stay for multiple days on Providenciales. The following mainly applies to guests staying overnight on Providenciales.
Armed invasions of rental villas are the greatest crime concern. The typical scenario is criminals (two to five persons and typically armed with firearms, blunt weapons or machetes) break into an occupied villa, subdue their victims, collect all valuables including passports and electronics, possibly attempt to have a victim withdraw cash at an ATM, and then leave. Our estimates are that 2 to 8 of these villa invasions happen on Providenciales every year. Staying in a hotel or resort will reduce this risk. Some villas have security guards or neighborhood patrols that lessen the likelihood of crime.
Armed robberies of pedestrians and persons are another issue. Criminals (in most cases one to two) will typically accost their victims at locations where the criminals are unlikely to be seen, demand all valuables, and then leave. Most of these robberies have occurred at dusk or after dark. Although committed throughout Providenciales, due to the tourist density these robberies (for tourist victims) usually happen in the
Bight and the western
Grace Bay areas, both on the roads and on the beach. A few are committed at the seldom visited and remote
western beaches and
national parks. For the 2016 crime reporting period, there were 134 recorded robberies (against both residents and tourists). 96 involved the use of a firearm, and 130 of the 134 recorded robberies were on Providenciales.
Thefts are the most common crime committed against visitors. These crimes are usually unattended valuables being stolen from a car (a window will often be broken if the car doors are locked) or from the beach. Although not quite as common, thefts from unoccupied hotel and resort rooms and villas do happen. We do not have any reliable information on how often these thefts occur, but published police information suggests at least several incidents per month. One local publication simply recommends that you leave the doors to your rental car unlocked to prevent the windows from being broken (the repair cost may not be covered by insurance).
Remote, isolated and secluded areas increase your risk of becoming a crime victim. The western half of Providenciales has very little development and several national parks and beautiful beaches are here, including
Northwest Point National Park,
West Harbour Bluff and
Frenchmans Creek and Pigeon Pond Nature Reserve. Most of these sites are accessed by long unpaved roads and criminals are aware of the isolation and subsequent long police response times. Although the number of reported crimes (both thefts and armed robberies) against visitors that occur annually in this remote region of Providenciales is in the single digits, it’s important to be aware that comparatively few visit these areas, so statistically the risk is greater. We've posted notices on the attractions which (in our opinion) pose an elevated risk.
General Crime and Safety Tips
Consider not going to any remote or isolated area on Providenciales
- Do not leave valuables in your vehicle or unattended on the beach
- Consider staying at a hotel or resort instead of an isolated rental villa
- Be aware that being out at dusk or night on the beach carries an increased risk of crime
- Be aware that walking on the roads at dusk or night carries an increased risk of crime
- Lock up or secure any valuables at your accommodation if a safe is available
- Don’t leave any valuables exposed when not at your accommodation
- Consider obtaining travel insurance that covers theft
