Higglers !!

[Marko]

yeah since mi spend most of mi time in Negril....and know the runnings better than some Jamaicans
mi can personally say that the begging and hard sell on foreigners has gotten worse.....even on the Cliffs
these people working you aren't usually from Negril.......they come as far as Kingston to try their luck....
there are 30% less Negril police compared to 15 years ago......and there should be least 30% more police
as far as the Tourist Police go.......dunno what has happened.....but they aren't hardly seen at all these days
wi all know about the crime problem now because of the State of Emergency.....
if mi was to say things have gotten out of control....
most locals and expats and frequent travelers would agree with mi
Respect

Cool Runnings, Marko

[jojo p]

Irene...
Yes, I get what you mean, he seems to come on a little to strong, but I assumed it was his first security job, and he was over doing it a bit.....I am sure he will mellow in time, although I do the fact I can leave my stuff around, and it is always watched over..

[brownsd54]

yeah since mi spend most of mi time in Negril....and know the runnings better than some Jamaicans
mi can personally say that the begging and hard sell on foreigners has gotten worse.....even on the Cliffs
these people working you aren't usually from Negril.......they come as far as Kingston to try their luck....
there are 30% less Negril police compared to 15 years ago......and there should be least 30% more police
as far as the Tourist Police go.......dunno what has happened.....but they aren't hardly seen at all these days
wi all know about the crime problem now because of the State of Emergency.....
if mi was to say things have gotten out of control....
most locals and expats and frequent travelers would agree with mi
Respect

Cool Runnings, Marko

there are 30% less Negril police compared to 15 years ago......That's a pretty bold statement and I'm not sure if I agree. I have seen more JCF beach patrol walking the beach and on Beach Drive than ever before. Roadblocks up on Cliff Road and patrols on foot all the way up to Rick's. It seems like way more JCF on bicycles and I've seen a lot more motorcycle cops than ever. Just wondering where you got this information Marko. I have met the Superintendent in charge of the Negril police and he said the safety of tourism in the Negril area was a top priority for JCF.

[SVW]

I thought things seemed more aggressive in certain areas this past trip in Dec. while walking the beach but not enough to keep me from coming back. We're thinking of staying deep west next trip, possibly in Nov. this year. I'm wondering, is there much of a presence with higglers in that location? Thinking of Westender Inn. I actually thought of going there this last trip but opted for the beach again instead but seriously thinking WI for next trip. The more I keep looking into it the nicer it looks.

[Bnewb]

SVW...
You won't see any higglers "deep West End"...maybe the odd person if you choose to walk the road.
There's not really anything around the Westender, so you're pretty much staying on the property until you want to visit the rest of the West End and/or beach.
You'll then use the Westender's car service or hire a cab when you're ready to go.

[SVW]

Thanks Bnewb. That's what I thought. Sounds pretty relaxing & something different & we can have them take us to the beach when we feel like some action

[Marko]

there are 30% less Negril police compared to 15 years ago......That's a pretty bold statement and I'm not sure if I agree.

just stating the facts plus what mi see from personal observations......

Dr Wykeham McNeill, member of parliament for Western Westmoreland states the fact recently from a stakeholders meeting;

There are now 60 police officers deployed in Negril in 2019...
And in Negril 20 years ago you had over 100 police deployed in Negril.....
And now there are 30 murders a year in in Negril.....and 20 years ago there were 5 or 6 murders a year......

Also retired Deputy Superintendent of Police Arthel Colley told the stakeholders’ meeting;
another factor affecting Negril’s level of control over crime is the lack of trust in the police force.

Cool Runnings, Marko

[Highlander]

Marko..
As all the Boardie's and We have spent a lot of time in Negril over the years and love Jamaica and the Culture so much ...

As you say. I totally agree that the Criminal Element has gotten so Bad !! And my Wife and I were certainly affected this Last Trip personally.. That's another story..

Also Mi friends in Town say that that (The Rude Boys) come in from Far and Wide !! To exploit the Tourist's!!
As I said in my original post this needs to be addressed by the Local Town Government...

Negril need's more Police protecting The Locals and Tourist's Alike... If you have a Town or a Country that Tourism is the Main Source of Income ...
Shouldn't you protect it ????

As Outsider's.. It is so Sad to see it going this Way... I do hope that S.O.E. works and it can be Cleaned Up soon .. And bring some Order Back .. Just my Two Cents !!

[Rob]

yeah since mi spend most of mi time in Negril....and know the runnings better than some Jamaicans
mi can personally say that the begging and hard sell on foreigners has gotten worse.....even on the Cliffs
these people working you aren't usually from Negril.......they come as far as Kingston to try their luck....
there are 30% less Negril police compared to 15 years ago......and there should be least 30% more police
as far as the Tourist Police go.......dunno what has happened.....but they aren't hardly seen at all these days
wi all know about the crime problem now because of the State of Emergency.....
if mi was to say things have gotten out of control....
most locals and expats and frequent travelers would agree with mi
Respect

Cool Runnings, Marko

Marko...

I can understand where our Member of Parliament, Dr. Wykeham McNeil, is coming from. He is trying to get the government to pay for more constables for his constituency. Every MP is doing the exact same thing as numbers of police are down from 20 years ago in every precinct.

So in shear numbers of JCF, that sounds about right. But I do know that 20 years ago many officers were part time, having other jobs. I would be curious to see the number of hours worked per shift compared to 20 years ago. Productivity per officer has surely gone up. Twenty years ago there was virtually no transportation for the constables in Negril. Everything was done on foot. That is not true today.

As an expat... I don't agree with your last statement that "things have gotten out of control". In the 90's when the large tourist demand for cocaine came to the island, there were times when you couldn't walk up a lane on the West End without "paying a toll" to the strung out "stockies" at the beginning of each lane. Perhaps the ex-pats you are talking with have no knowledge of those times.

I find it interesting that you are making these claims. In another thread you state that the airport users fees and taxes are too high, and specifically "shouldn't be for Mobay airport". One of those fees is the TEF, the "Tourism Enhancement Fund". The sidewalk on the beach and beach patrol ATVs (to directly address problem higglers on the beach) were paid for by this fund. Future projects to be completed through the fees and taxes are increased lighting, security cameras, more policing, better roads, waste management and increased water supply and drainage.

I have had several friends comment to me about your statement that you "know the runnings better than some Jamaicans". I don't know how you can be so bold saying that as a visitor to Jamaica? I've been living here approaching 30 years now and would never make that claim.

I don't see how complaining that "things have gotten out of control" and yet not wanting to pay for it through fees and taxes such as the TEF is consistent with knowing the "runnings".

Just sharing my nearly 30 years of personal observations being an ex-pat...

[JDd]

WTF are you talking white boi?

Cap