Is it safe to visit Jamaica – and which Caribbean islands have the worst crime rates?

Tourists should not be put off visiting Jamaica, the country's tourism minister has said, despite an ongoing military operation to deal with gang violence in and around the holiday hub of Montego Bay. 

A state of emergency has been declared in St James Parish, which includes Montego Bay, while The Foreign Office has warned British holidaymakers to limit their movements outside of resorts and “exercise particular care” at night amid a surge of killings believed to be linked to gangs and lottery scams. 

“Travel to and from the airport or for excursions should be undertaken with organised tour operators and transport should be arranged or provided by the resort hotels,” it added. Canadian and American governments have also issued warnings to their citizens. 

But the Caribbean island's tourism minister, Edmund Bartlett, told Telegraph Travel said the “intensive law enforcement activities” to deal with a wave of violent crime in the area has not impacted tourist activity.

“Things are quiet. All the hotels are open and everybody is having a good time,” he said. “The beaches are full and the attractions are buzzing.

“Nothing has been disturbed in terms of the normal flow.”

Bartlett said that tourists in the area were unlikely to witness any of the military operation. “You’re not likely to see any military police on the main corridors for visitors,” he said.

He added that the Jamaican government wanted to bring stability to the inner-city communities, adding that the state of emergency will last for “no more than 14 days in the first instance”.

Declared at the end of last week, the “state of public emergency” was, according to the tourism minister, “not out of the ordinary in international tourism markets, and therefore would be understood by visitors and welcomed by residents”.

The minister’s office warned that state of alert might mean “persons may be stopped at various checkpoints and asked for information to verify identity”.

The Foreign Office said around 206,000 Britons visited Jamaica in 2016, with most stays passing without trouble. Tui, which operates many resorts on the island, said all of its guests were in safe zones and urged its holidaymakers to follow official advice. 

How safe is Jamaica?

The Foreign Office warns of high crime levels, particularly in and around “certain areas” of Kingston and Montego Bay.

“Gang violence and shootings are common, although usually confined to inner city neighbourhoods,” its advice says.

It lists a number of neighbourhoods in which to be especially cautious:

• West Kingston

• Grant’s Pen

• August Town

• Harbour View

• Spanish Town

Certain parts of Montego Bay, including Flankers, Barrett Town, Norwood, Glendevon, Rose Heights and Mt Salem, are also listed.

The Foreign Office says the motive for most attacks on tourists is robbery so visitors should take appropriate cautions. “Try to vary which restaurants you use,” it says. “And avoid using buses at night”.

There were 335 murders recorded last year in St James, which includes Montego Bay. 

Which is the most dangerous island in the Caribbean?

Asked whether the region had an issue with violent crime, Minister Bartlett said: “It is a creeping problem that we all have to respond to and I think more and more of the region are taking strong measures.”

He said “gaps” left by globalisation had led to social disorder.

A study published last year by the Interamerican Development Bank warned that while non-violent crime in the region was low, violent crime rates “are among the highest in the world”.

“Nearly one in three said they had lost someone to violence. Guns are used about twice as often in robbery and three times as often in assault in the Caribbean as compared with the global average,” the report said. It also found that almost half of all crimes go unreported to the police.

In terms of murder rates, as measured by the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), three of the top 10 for most murders per 100,000 inhabitants were Caribbean islands.

The world's safest countries, according to the World Economic Forum

The US Virgin Islands ranked fourth with 52.64, followed by Jamaica in fifth with 43.21. Only El Salvador, Honduras and Venezuela have more murders.

Saint Kitts and Nevis was ninth, with 33.55 murders per 100,000. A further six Caribbean countries occupied rankings in top 20, including Trinidad and Tobago, Anguilla and St Lucia.  

The UK ranks 183rd with 0.92 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.