Jamaica 2020 Crime & Safety Report
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Jamaica 2020 Crime & Safety Report This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Jamaica. For more in-depth information, review OSAC’s Jamaica country page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private- sector representatives with an OSAC password. Travel Advisory The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses Jamaica at Level 2, indicating travelers should exercise increased caution due to crime. Do not travel to Spanish Town, or to parts of Kingston and Montego Bay, due to crime. Review OSAC’s report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. Overall Crime and Safety Situation Crime Threats The U.S. Department of State has assessed Kingston as being a CRITICAL-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Violent crime, including sexual assault, is a serious problem throughout Jamaica, particularly in Kingston and Montego Bay. Jamaica’s police force is understaffed and has limited resources. Gated resorts are not immune to violent crime. In 2018, the homicide rate was 47/100,000 residents, and 2019 saw an increase of 3.4%. This is three times higher than the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. Forbes Magazine listed Jamaica as the third-most dangerous place for women travelers in 2017. In 2018, Business Insider ranked Jamaica tenth among 20 of the most dangerous places in the world. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently cited crime as the number one impediment to Jamaica’s economic growth. The Jamaican government concluded that corruption and the transnational crime it facilitates presents a grave threat to national security. In January 2018, due to rampant violence and murders, the Government of Jamaica declared States of Emergency (SOEs) and Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) for several parishes (like U.S. counties) including the Kingston Metropolitan Area and St. James (Montego Bay). The U.S. Embassy warned visitors to avoid some areas of Kingston, Montego Bay, and Spanish Town due to violent crime. Under the SOE, security forces deployed to address organized crime, including gang violence related to drug and gun trafficking and lottery scams. The Emergency Powers Act allows the security forces to detain and deport suspicious persons, to enter premises and seize property without a warrant, and declare curfews. Throughout 2019, the government enacted various SOEs and ZOSOs for the same parishes. They remain in effect as of January 2020, with little long-term effect on the murder rate. Review OSAC’s report, Jamaica State of Emergency. 1 Crime 2019 2018 % Murders 1326 1287 +3.4% Shootings 1246 1156 +7.8% Aggravated Assaults 361 379 -4.7% Rapes 484 503 -3.8% Robberies 1189 1088 +9.3% Break-ins 1210 1174 +3.1% Data from the Jamaican Constabulary Force Statistics and Information Management Unit The U.S. Embassy in Kingston maintains several areas as off-limits to its personnel. The Embassy refers to its largest off-limits area in Kingston as the “Red-Zone,” which represents two-thirds of the city. The Embassy prohibits personnel from travel within this zone, between Mountain View Avenue and Hagley Park Road, and south of Half Way Tree and Old Hope Roads; this area includes Trench Town, Tivoli Gardens, and Arnett Gardens. The Regional Security Office must approve all official travel within the Red- Zone. Travelers must pass through the Red-Zone to access Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport (KIN). The approved primary route is South Camp Road to Normal Manley Boulevard. The approved secondary route is Mountain View to Deanery Road to South Camp Road to Norman Manley Boulevard. The Embassy does not require employees to submit a travel request to travel to KIN using either of these approved routes. Also off limits in Kingston are Cassava Piece, Grants Pen, Stand‐Pipe, Duhaney Park, and Mountain View. Avenue between Deanery Road and Windward Road, and all neighborhoods encompassed in a lower-level “M-Zone” include Olympic Gardens, Cockburn Gardens, Seaview Gardens, Trench Town, Tivoli Gardens, and Denham Town. In St. Catherine Parish, off-limits areas include Spanish Town, Central Village, and certain areas within Portmore to include Old Braeton, Naggo Head, Newland, and Waterford. All of Clarendon Parish is off‐limits. However, personnel may pass through Clarendon parish using the T1 and A2 highways. The Embassy does not require employees to submit a travel request to pass through Clarendon using these approved routes. In St. James Parish, neighborhoods encompassed in the off-limits zone of Montego Bay include Flankers, Norwood, Glendevon, Paradise Heights, and parts of Mount Salem. The downtown “Hip Strip” of bars, clubs, and vendors in Montego Bay is an area where tourists should remain aware of pickpockets and theft. Review OSAC’s report, All That You Should Leave Behind. In Kingston, Embassy personnel reside in several housing compounds employing 24/7 armed guards. Residences must adhere to rigid security standards for a critical-threat crime environment; each must have locked window grilles, alarm systems, and a safe room. 2 Rape and sexual assault are serious problems throughout Jamaica, including at resorts and hotels. Review OSAC’s reports, Hotels: The Inns and Outs and Considerations for Hotel Security. The use of date rape drugs is possible even at private parties and resorts. For more information on date rape drugs, review OSAC’s report, Scopolamine Incidents on the Rise in Colombia. Gangs are a major security issue across the country, and are the source of most violent crime nationwide. While there is no evidence to indicate criminals and gang-related activities specifically target U.S. citizens for violent crime, U.S. citizens are the prime targets for financial “lottery scams.” In 2018, the USPIS assisted Jamaican law enforcement with 109 cases involving lottery scamming and have extradited six lotto scammers. Criminal elements pose as legitimate lottery companies and convince unsuspecting U.S. citizens to send large amounts of money to obtain claimed lottery winnings. The lottery fraud/scam operates predominantly from the north coast near the tourist areas. Those organizing scams may obtain personal information on tourists and use it to conduct their operations. The most notorious Jamaican scam is the Lotto Scam, a kind of advance-fee fraud. The scammer leads the victim to believe that a Jamaican lottery prize is available to them after the payment of “fees.” If you receive a call, know that you did NOT win a lottery. The person on the telephone is lying, and you should hang up. Never send money to someone who calls to say you have won the lottery in Jamaica. Do not travel to Jamaica to collect a “prize.” Criminals have killed, kidnapped, extorted, or robbed victims. Be very cautious about sending money to help a traveler claiming to be in trouble. When in doubt, contact your local police department for advice and assistance. Be wary of promises to protect a loved one from harm or to help the loved one out of trouble, in exchange for money. That is extortion – contact your local police department. Scam artists often fake romantic interest to get money from a would-be lover, especially on the internet. When in doubt, contact your local police department. If you are the target of a financial scam, you will need to file a report with your local police department. Review OSAC’s report, Criminal Gangs, Arms Trafficking, and Lottery Scams in Jamaica. Review OSAC’s reports, The Overseas Traveler’s Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud and Taking Credit. Cybersecurity Issues Review OSAC’s reports, Cybersecurity Basics, Best Practices for Maximizing Security on Public Wi-Fi, Traveling with Mobile Devices: Trends & Best Practices, and Satellite Phones: Critical or Contraband? 3 Transportation-Safety Situation Road Safety and Road Conditions Driving is on the left side of the road in Jamaica. The lack of pedestrian crosswalks requires special vigilance. In 2019, road fatalities increased to 435, from 389 the year before. Most roads are paved, but suffer from ill repair, inadequate signage, large potholes, limited lighting, and poor traffic control markings. Roads are often subject to poorly marked construction zones, pedestrians, bicyclists, and livestock. Driving habits range from aggressive speeding and disregard for others, to inexperience and overly cautious behaviors, creating uncertainty and hazards to pedestrians. Drivers should maintain special care when entering poorly marked traffic circles; entering motorists must yield to those already inside. Exit points are exceptionally confusing, often making it difficult to determine which exit to take. With the completion of the North-South Highway toll road in 2016, there is now a modern, expedient route between Kingston and the north coast area near Ocho Rios. The A1, A2, and A3 highways provide links between the country’s most important cities and tourist destinations. These roads are comparable to but do not quite meet the standard of U.S. highways; road conditions are hazardous due to poor repair, inadequate signage, and poor traffic control markings. Highways and rural roads are often very narrow and carry large trucks, buses, pedestrians, bicyclists, and open-range livestock. Most highways invite vehicles to travel at high speeds, but do not limit access. (Only North-South Highway and Highway 2000 prohibit bicyclists, pedestrians, and livestock). Breakdown assistance is limited in urban areas, and virtually unavailable in rural areas. Avoid nighttime driving; lighting is either poor or non-existent outside of larger cities, and nighttime driving is especially dangerous. Drivers and passengers in the front seat must wear seat belts, and motorcycle riders must wear helmets.