Here is the deal. I am a retired police officer/detective and I used to give these sorts of talks all the time. Everything is safe until it isn't...... The rub is you don't know when "isn't" will be as it is usually when you least expect it. The safety principles in Negril are the same in the U.S. Police see victims and evaluate said victims based on their risk level or exposure. For example if you live on the south side of Chicago you are much more likely to have someone kick your door in and rob you than you are if you live in the suburbs. With that said you may live on the south side of Chicago for 70 years and never have a moment of trouble. You may also be robbed your first night in your new apartment. No one knows for sure because its a risky area. If you live on the burbs your exposure to crime is much more limited and you are much more likely to be a victim. Real basic stuff, right?.

Well it is the same in Negril. You can walk the beach a hundred times and be okay. You may also walk it once like some of the folks on TA boards have posted and be robbed. It all depends on who you encounter during your walk. I think we all agree that the road is the safer bet, it reduces your risk and makes you less likely to experience problems. You are not immune to problems on the road, but you are safer according to the odds.

So you have to ask yourself is the walk on the beach worth it to you and are you okay with exposing yourself to a higher risk area and taking your chances, or can the beach walk wait until morning. The true answer is there is no good answer because no one can predict the conditions at the time you are walking the beach. Three hardcore criminals from Kingston that have never even been to the beach could be at Bourbon Beach and see an easy mark leave and follow you down until the time is right. Or, you could have a wonderful evening. No one knows, again its all about risk and exposure. No one can guarantee your safety and no one can really tell you the exact chance that you would be robbed or harmed.

It is a math equation that can't be solved until you actually walk down the beach.