Canadian killed on westend friday night.

[Rob]

Rash of murders: look at the stats in the observer and increase over last year at this time.
Random murder: will concede that may be speculative at this time but we will see. My money is on that. Robbery gone bad or random is a distinction without a difference.
I have expressed my concerns and have not told others what they should do. I am not wrong to be afraid or for feeling it is a good idea to stay away from a place where there has been a significant uptick in the murder rate. Only time will tell but my main point is that more needs to be done.

BostonBob,

The stats in the Observer are for ALL of Westmoreland and show an increase of 6 over last year in a parish of approx. 150,000 people. While one murder is one too many, the "rash" of 6 is for a population of 150,000. Please note that is NOT 6 for Negril, but for all of Westmoreland. The "fact" you posted is a misunderstanding of the difference between a parish (312 square miles, 150,000 people) versus Negril, (about 7,000 people).

I dont find "betting" on the outcome of a murder as a basis for a fact, but speculation by definition. And rather distasteful at that.

You expressed your ""concerns" as "facts". There is no place for that on such an important topic. According to your own source, there has not been a significant uptake in the number of murders in Negril. The stats you quote from the Observer do not support it, which makes your premise false. You are more than entitled to be afraid, but you are not entitled to spread that fear to others with false statements and speculation, ie. fear mongering. This is simply too important.

I agree that more needs to be done, as does everyone who lives and works in Negril.

[marco]

well then, Rob, what is being done and what has Negil.com done to voice their concern...as you see from a previous post from someone living there, he agrees with our perceptions

[BostonBob]

Six represents a 15 percent increase. Boston a city of .67 million had a total of 53 murders last year. 150,000 in Westmoreland for the first five and a half months is on track for 94. Not very good I would say for an area populated by just 150,000.

[jojo p]

this sickens me, but doesn't surprise me, when I was there in April I saw no police presence, or very little. Also noticed very few of the beach security officers that wear the hats. If tourist
are noticing this, so are the bad men !
Negril busy season is short already, things like this keep happening, places like Cuba, will become an attractive alternative, as it's low in crime, and the U.S. are starting regular commercial flights in the fall.
I love Jamaica, theres no other place you can really compare it to, but something better be done , the way those bikes are driven, crazy, fast, and makes for a quick getaway, almost making
it impossible to catch these people. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe a big majority of the crimes this past couple of years have involved bikes

[Rob]

Rob...I really do not see it helpful to attempt to minimize the situation....yes there are murders everywhere, yada yada yada....I believe noone can disagree with the fact that violence is increasing and that corruption is one of the reasons...everyone in Negril needs to unite in forcing the government and businesses to establish a more stable environment

I've been coming here since 1973 built a house here in 1992 across from the red dragon and have been living here full time for almost three years. I started this thread. I'm apalled and sickened by people saying this happens every where. Thank you boston bob and marco you said it best.

Marco,

I am not minimizing anything, but allowing people to make their own judgements based on facts. The existence of this thread proves that idea. Try this on TripAdvisor and see what happens.

I was living in Negril when the murder rate was much higher than it is now. In 2005 the murder rate was about 30% higher than last year. This is long before eddie claims to have lived here for "almost three years". And yes, I know eddie and know the day he got his residency.

As fate would have it, that issue about what is being done is in today's Observer. here is the link:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lates...d-gun-violence

For those who dont click on the link, here is a quick summary:

"Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government is working with the police and the army to deal with the issue of gun violence in Jamaica....The prime minister said that through a partnership with the United States, other law enforcement teams, the community, and the State, Jamaica will succeed in its fight against crime."

As for what Negril.com has done and is doing is allowing threads like this to exist and be directed to the appropriate Ministries. Also, working with the Chamber of Commerce as a partner, we add our voice to issues that are important to the stakeholders in the community. Over the years we have conducted various surveys at the Chamber's request. When the issue of crime comes up, we add our voices as well as the voices of our posters to the issue. That is one of the reasons that "keeping it real" is important. When a poster, be it a visitor, resident (full or part time) or business owner makes a misinformed or speculative post, those posts carry less weight and tend to be viewed as the statement from someone who does not know what is happening.

[Rob]

Six represents a 15 percent increase. Boston a city of .67 million had a total of 53 murders last year. 150,000 in Westmoreland for the first five and a half months is on track for 94. Not very good I would say for an area populated by just 150,000.

BostonBob,

Your premise was that there was a "rash of murders" in Negril. You have added nothing to support this opinion other than statistics for an entire parish, nothing about Negril. And now you are bringing up Boston and yet you scolded me for bringing up Orlando. Sounds like a double standard to me. You can say anything unsupported that you want and I cannot bring up facts. Where is the logic in that...

[BostonBob]

Rob thanks for allowing the heartfelt feedback. Hopefully it will be heard. I have canceled my plans to return to Jamaica and I am sure others will as well until something is done. Cuba is going to compete soon for the tourism revenue and hopefully Jamaican officials do something to keep the locals I love in business. Havana.com soon come.

[Rob]

this sickens me, but doesn't surprise me, when I was there in April I saw no police presence, or very little. Also noticed very few of the beach security officers that wear the hats. If tourist
are noticing this, so are the bad men !
Negril busy season is short already, things like this keep happening, places like Cuba, will become an attractive alternative, as it's low in crime, and the U.S. are starting regular commercial flights in the fall.
I love Jamaica, theres no other place you can really compare it to, but something better be done , the way those bikes are driven, crazy, fast, and makes for a quick getaway, almost making
it impossible to catch these people. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe a big majority of the crimes this past couple of years have involved bikes

Jojo,

We agree with you about the bikes - they are a menace in many ways. There was another motorcyclist funeral yesterday in Red Ground. Many more people are dying from the bikes in Negril than crime.

But Lisa and I both had to respectfully laugh at your "no police presence" comment - in April we saw so many undercover police on the beach, they had even wandered in during the Boardie Bash to see what was going on! (grin)

[Rob]

Rob thanks for allowing the heartfelt feedback. Hopefully it will be heard. I have canceled my plans to return to Jamaica and I am sure others will as well until something is done. Cuba is going to compete soon for the tourism revenue and hopefully Jamaican officials do something to keep the locals I love in business. Havana.com soon come.

BostonBob,

No worries man, government agencies were made aware of this thread when it started yesterday. It is all part of the role Negril.com plays for Negril and Jamaica.

[BostonBob]

Undercover must not be that undercover and if they are undercover how would the bad guys know of their presence? Seems a real overt presence would be more impactful. If I do not see the police because they are undercover them I feel emboldened to shoot. Seeing police will stop the trigger.