Higglers !!

[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