65 murders in 4 weeks: State Department advises Americans not to visit Jamaica

The State Department issued a travel warning to Jamaica on January 30. There have been 65 murders there this month, reports New York Post.

Photo: IStock

The US Embassy in Jamaica has upgraded its travel advisory to Level 3: Reconsider Travel. That's just one level below the strictest ban, which warns Americans against travel in general.

The crimes have become so widespread that tourists cannot even be safe at their resorts, the embassy said.

“Violent crimes such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults and murders are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts, the warning says. — Local police often do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents. When arrests are made, cases rarely reach a final conviction.”

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“Families of US citizens killed in accidents or homicides often wait a year or more for Jamaican authorities to issue final death certificates,” the alert said.

Most murders in the Western Hemisphere

According to the US State Department, Jamaica has had one of the highest murder rates in the Western Hemisphere over the past few years.

At least 1 people were killed between January 27 and 65 this year, according to Jamaican police.

Strikingly, the high murder rate has dropped since last year, with 2023 people killed in the first month of 81.

There were at least 1393 homicides reported in all of last year, and 2022 in 1498.

Data shows that Jamaica has recorded at least 2003 murders a year since 1000. The country's population is 2,8 million people.

The Bahamas is also dangerous

This is the second travel warning for Caribbean countries in recent days.

The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas on Jan. 26 raised its travel advisory to Level 2: "exercise increased caution," instructing Americans to maintain a low profile while visiting and not to fight back if they find themselves the victim of a crime.

Although the situation in the Bahamas is not as dire as in Jamaica, the Bahamas have been deemed unsafe for tourists. In January alone, there were 18 murders there – “primarily” motivated by gang violence.

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“The killings occurred at all times, including in broad daylight on the streets,” the embassy said in a statement, which also advised “extreme caution” in the eastern Bahamian capital of Nassau.

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