bamafam

On several other travel sites and via word of mouth from fellow travelers, I keep hearing cautionary tales about how crime on Nevis is steadily rising, especially violent crime. While I usually take these things with a grain (and sometimes a shaker) of salt, I'd be interested in hearing some perspective from locals or frequent visitors on what the situation really is.

We are renting a villa on the island early next year, and people keep telling me to be wary of break-ins, etc. We always use our common sense when traveling — no flashy jewelry, locking car doors, keeping valuables out of sight, etc. — but do we really need to go above and beyond basic precautions like this?

Thanks in advance.

Jimmie

No one has responded yet, so I'll tell you what I heard from friends. We went in 2002 and found Nevis to be an incredibly welcoming, safe island. Things got rougher after Hurricane Omar in 2008 -- the Four Seasons had to shut down for more than a year, and I think it was the biggest employer on the island. That might be where some of these more serious crime statistics come from. The hotel has since reopened. I would make sure there is a safe in the villa.

RoamsAround

The difficulty in answering these types of questions is trying to keep things in perspective. Palm trees, sandy beaches and turquoise waters may make any island seem like paradise but it's not heaven. Crime exists everywhere and when an incident occurs on a small island like Nevis the news sometimes gets sensationalized. Break-ins, robberies and muggings happen in just about every city and town in every country yet most of these are never reported in the local newspapers so the area residents are unaware of them happening. So ask yourself, do you feel safe where you now live? And what would you tell me if I told you I heard of a couple of robberies in your city and wanted to know if it would be safe for me to visit. What would you tell me?

Nevis is not now nor has it ever been a hot bed of crime. But like any place else in the world where there are more than a handful of people an untoward incident can happen. While no one can give you 100% assurances suffice to say crimes directed against tourists are rare. If you use the same common sense approaches to your personal safety that you do "back home" you should be just fine.

In the past 6 months there were 3 high profile robberies on Nevis, one in February which occurred in the vacation home of a US Supreme Court Justice and 2 this past week when homes belonging to Ex-pat families were broken into (note these were two unrelated incidents). In the February case a suspect was apprehended, released on bail and is awaiting trial. At least one alleged perpetrator was arrested in each of the two most recent robberies within days of the crime. Police have also identified two alleged accomplices (one for each crime) and are seeking to apprehend them.

A new Police Commissioner was appointed earlier this year and he has taken a strong position against any crime on the island. He has also formed a new Anti-Crime Task Force to help with current investigations and deter further incidents. How successful they will be in reducing or eliminating future crime, of course, remains to be seen.

Hope this helps ease your concerns.

bamafam

Thanks to you both! That does help. I suppose my biggest concern is the possibility of a villa break-in, especially if we were to be in the house at the time. But as you say, these things can and do happen anywhere.

cw

bamafam, we spent a little over a week in Nevis in early March of this year. It was our fourth visit (after visiting St. Kitts for about 15 years) but we hadn't been in a few years. We stayed at one of the lovely cottages of the Hermitage but it is across the street from the main grounds, so it was a bit similar to staying in a villa.

We felt very welcome and safe everywhere we went that whole week and with our rental car we were out and about every day. The Breyer incident had happened just a few weeks before, and we found people concerned about its effect on the island. One beach bar owner told me that he hadn't even heard about it locally. He saw it reported on CNN.

There are no guarantees in life, but lock your doors at night, leave valuables in the safe, don't leave items visible in your car etc. Just about the same you would do at home. After a three year absence from Nevis, I fell in love with it all over again.

bamafam

Thank you, cw! I appreciate the feedback.

LucyLou32635

Hi Bamafam, I'm actually heading to Nevis for the first time here tomorrow. I will let you know what I think. I came across your post last night while I was doing some late night searching. Since this post is somewhat old, hopefully you still get notifications when someone replies. I'll be there for ten days, staying near Charlestown, and will be visiting St. Kitts a few times. I'll let you know what I think!

MSchutze

Not sure if you're still fishing for information about safety on Nevis. My wife and I discovered Nevis 8 years ago on for our Honeymoon. This is the first year that we have not been back. Rest assured that our absence has nothing to do with safety issues. It's a long drawn out medical issue that makes long distance travel not an option.

Nevis is your typical island paradise. The people on Nevis are unlike any that you will find anywhere else. Everyone is genuinely friendly. We've never had any issues with anyone. They have even adopted us a semi-locals while we are there. Nevis is a small island ... There's a strong possibility that the owner of the restaurant you ate at the night before will be at the grocer the next day as you pick up what ever you need.

I'm sure that if you go looking for trouble, you can find it. If you flash a wad of cash, expect the same type of response you'd get in an town in the U.S. 90% of the time nothing will happen. Same if leave your expensive gadgets on the table and wander off for a few ... generally nothing happens. If you're mindful of what you're doing, there should be no issues.

If you haven't found the local St. Kitts & Nevis news website, I suggest that you check out SKNVibes.com. You'll find that a whole lot of their crime wouldn't even make it into your Subdivision News Letter ... It's a small island where everybody knows just about everybody.

The Nevisians know that you're tourists and most know that their economy depends upon the tourists ... They'll find legal ways to separate you from your cash!