USVI-On-Line

When I went to STJ two years ago, I knew we would most likely appear to be "targets" (if anyone was seeking out a victim). It was myself and one other female, both of us in the mid-thirteys. Still in the wake of the whole Aruba thing, our friends and families were pretty worried about us going.

I intentionally chose a villa on STJ that had the caretaker on site (lived in the downstairs of the villa). We didn't tie ourselves down to an itinerary every day, but we did jot down on a notebook each morning what beaches/bars/restaurants we were considering for the day (if we ended up missing it could at least leave a possible trail). We tried to be home before it was dark, and the villa was just off the main road in Coral Bay.

Even though we did this stuff, it didn't take away any enjoyment from our vacation. It didn't make us think we were 10ft tall and bullet proof either. Looking back on it, we did some pretty stupid/unsafe things, (like walking down a dark alley in Frenchtown STT, way after dark). I think in the end, you do what you can, keep having fun, and you are either one of the lucky ones, or one of the unfortunate unlucky ones. There's nothing one can do to 100% guarantee their own safety (I'm not saying anyone here thinks that) on STJ, in their hometown, or in their own living room at home. In this day and age everyone is at the mercy of desperate people who commit crimes against others, or worse, the ones who do it for fun.

I'll keep planning my trip and take my chances, but will do what I can to try and keep the upper hand. But I feel there's just as much chance of a crack-head wondering through my unlocked front door right now.

Just my thoughts on it! Keep safe, but keep enjoying life!

I'd imagine that most of the breakins and robberys are because the drug addicts need their next fix.
All this is a great reason for the USA and Territories to change the way they handle the drug problem. Britian has found an excellent way: give the addicts a Pharmacy Card so they can get whatever the heck they want - FOR FREE. That way, they don't have to do any breakins or robberies or muggings. That's alot of 'work' that they don't really want to do. They just want to get high. And so what if they burn their stupid brains out? At least they'd leave the rest of us alone.. OK - off the soapbox, Sorry if I offended anyone.... Jenrale

After looking at the available data, I'm incredulous. I posted my analysis and thoughts over in the off-topic forum (thanks for the nudge pjayer) - http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... 5900#95900

So, what do we actually know, statistics based on broken data aside?

Bad things happen sometimes.

It's worth taking precautions.

Don't expect much help from the local police force.

Cheers, RickG

Amazing what you can find if you google it. Google "villa breakins usvi st john" and all kinds of stories pop up. Apparently this has been going on for some time. (and in many places) Here's an article from Conde Nast from August 2006

http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/10388

Also, Fromers message board thread that has been going since Aug. 2007 about the issue.

http://www.frommers.com/cgi-bin/WebX?128@@.ef3d85c

Waterguy raises a good question-what is the average population with tourists-high season, low? I doubt that it makes much difference. Theresa_Rae's and RickG's stats are pretty compelling. Very nice work.

Unfortunately we do have posters who still say "I can't imagine many places with lower crime rates. A crime every other day. I'd be pretty satisfied with that, wouldn't really feel the need to look for someplace with a lower crime rate." A crime every other day is a meaningless statistic without including the population. It is not a meaningful crime rate! Is that a good crime rate if your town is 100, 1000, 4200, 100000? A low crime rate-that's an opinion, uncorroborated, pretty much totally unsubstantiated by this thread.

Hopefully this thread will put an end (could we be so lucky?) to the statement "STJ has a low crime rate." If you make the statement, be sure to add, relative to what.

Our on-island friends have been curiously quiet on this thread. I wonder what they think about this subject?

As I've said before I never leave my common sense at home and for the past several years we have been warned about the same thing: villa break-ins occasionally happen. So what do we do? we lock our stuff up. That way if they break in they only get my undies and t-shirts.

I'm not a huge fan of statistics myself. Being a spin doctor by trade (PR) I love em and use them for my own purposes when I want to drive a message home. The adage that "numbers don't lie" is well, a lie. They do and they can be manipulated.

I believe that most violent crime is targeted crime. Sure random stuff happens but I'm willing to bet the more serious stuff is between folks who have pissed each other off.

I'd love to see a GIS map of where these crimes occur. I'm willing to bet 10-1 that on STT you'll find they occur in TuTu the poorest part if STT and not in the traditional tourist spots.

A good friend of mine was an attorney on STT for several years (they all have to do public defender duty) and the majority of crimes were drug related. Someone owed somebody else money or selling where they shouldn't or stealing customers. Sadly the crimes also included a hefty number of USVI's finest. Many of whom are on the take. That's just the way it is with the police down there.

Sure I'd like to see more of the crimes solved but the islands have always sort of lived by their own rules. Are they right to turn the other way and ignore th problem? In my opinion no. But no one asked for my opinion.

You also have to consider the history of these islands and how they came to be as lone outposts where people were enslaved and those who weren't were trying to carve out an existence on a rock in the middle of the ocean and on the backs of others. They lived according to their own code and own set of rules. That cultural code has permeated into Caribbean culture and exists even today.

That "pirate" mentality that Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney package so nicely for the masses to swallow down with their rum umbrella drinks also has a darker side. Alcoholism, joblessness, poverty, tax evasion, drug abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, corruption -- you name it. Read a Pirate Looks at Forty sometime and you'll see how often Jimmy has to bribe his way into a country. That's the way it works in most of the rest of the world. We're just pretty damn spoiled.

Apologies for the long post -- but I'll conclude with this: You gotta make your own choices and do what's best for you. If that doesn't include STJ any longer that's ok -- just more room on the beach for me.

What I don't think folks should do is go to STJ because you want a free-wheeling experience with a little adventure and expect everything to go exactly the way you expect or according to your rules of the way life should be. Life on island is hard. One day you have stuff, the next day a hurricane blows through and you've got nothing. When you have an entire population living with that concept of the world, they tend to do things and view things a hell of alot differently than most of us would. I'm not saying that it's right, just saying what is. Add to that the problems we have with drugs in this country an you're throwing fuel on the fire.

I'm under no illusions that STJ is perfect. I love her warts and all and she's damn near perfect enough for me.

Teresa Rae said: My whole point as I’ve stated is that many people think STJ is this small island of 4200 people with the amount of crime you’d expect in a small town of 4200 people. But STJ has a very disproportionate amount of crime and you can’t have the mindset that you’d have in any other small town.

We really don't know if it's disproportionate to any other town of 4,200 or not because there has not been any data posted relating to any town, village, island or territory that small, only Nashville, Washington, DC, etc.

This may sound crazy to most people but if my family is on the property (or returning home) I would rather the criminals take jewelry, cash, etc that might be laying on a table and get the h_ll out.

The best bad situation is they take the stuff and go.

I would not want stuff locked in a safe while some wacko junkie (or just general criminal) gets trigger or knife happy while one of us tries to unlock a safe under that type of horrible stress.

The worst bad situation is they rob/mug/harm someone in order to get what may or may not be locking in a safe.

The fact that the criminals as so brazen to enter properties that are obiviously occupied tells me they are:
1.) stupid and therefore dangerous
2.) willing to engage in a physical confrontaion because they know they have zero risk of punishment
3.) are so wacked, they don't care what happens and will do what ever it takes to get what they want.

Don't get me wrong, we don't flaunt cash and jewels. Quite the opposite, we travel with nothing that we couldn't lose and easily replace.

Using a safe likely protects only against robbery by the not-so-dangerous bad guys.

Gromit wrote:Our on-island friends have been curiously quiet on this thread. I wonder what they think about this subject?

What normally comes of this discussion is that someone will tell the on-island folks that they have their heads in the sand, and that they should be doing more to get the police to do something, etc.

This discussion has been revisited so many times, I am guessing that they are just staying out of it. It is their home and they see it differently, at least I did.

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pjayer wrote:

I'm with payer on this one...

Hey Pam, "You crack me up"

Capt. John

Final thought from this portion of the Kentucky delegation:

Will any of this keep me from going to STJ? Absolutely not.

Will I be careful? Yes, just as I have always been and just as I try to be at home.

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Jorge said: "Capt. John? As in the John Brandi?"

One and the same...he's the Man!!!