Re: Breaking Belize News ( NOT Good News)

when folks cite the crime statistics for Belize to intentionally denigrate the country and deter expats from looking at the place as a GOOD place to retire, they ignore the fact that the number of expats who are attacked or murdered by a Belizean is a tiny number a year. The persons of interest in expat murders are very often other expat.  The odds for being an expat murdered in Belize are probably lower than for any person being caught up in crossfire or a drive by shooting in most big north American cities. If one is sensible where ever one lives the chance of being a  murder statistic can be lowered considerably.

HI @tonyest01. I don't disagree with you, but just a reminder that politics, particulary foreign politics, is a no-no on the forum.

Breaking news!
The GSU ( guacamole suppression unit) arrested an avocado vendor in BZE market.
Guys if unu haven't register your avocado trees please do so at the nearest police station! Just ask for the Guacamole Suppression Unit. ( GSU) officer in charge!!
deh pendejos po po tek de job serious noh tru?

Strange place

Monkey Town brew wrote:

HI @tonyest01. I don't disagree with you, but just a reminder that politics, particulary foreign politics, is a no-no on the forum.

Yes, and it is a shame censorship is invoked, as almost all of the problems here are directly attributable to politicians filling their own and faimily members pockets first leaving a small amount getting to the population. If I were allowed to expand on what I have seen and learned in the last four months..... 🤢

SusanBelize wrote:

Breaking news!
The GSU ( guacamole suppression unit) arrested an avocado vendor in BZE market.
Guys if unu haven't register your avocado trees please do so at the nearest police station! Just ask for the Guacamole Suppression Unit. ( GSU) officer in charge!!
deh pendejos po po tek de job serious noh tru?

Strange place

Perhaps this news story will help. https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2018 … stupidity/

Well, Will. I think talking Belize politics as it relates to expat life would probably be allowed as long as it didn't get nasty. I actually didn't delete the post, and it was about US politics, which often goes zero to hostile in about 5 seconds. Those are the forum rules, not mine. I was asked to help enforce them. Don't shoot the messenger.

Will The Old wrote:

SusanBelize wrote:

Breaking news!
The GSU ( guacamole suppression unit) arrested an avocado vendor in BZE market.
Guys if unu haven't register your avocado trees please do so at the nearest police station! Just ask for the Guacamole Suppression Unit. ( GSU) officer in charge!!
deh pendejos po po tek de job serious noh tru?

Strange place

Perhaps this news story will help. https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2018 … stupidity/

Honestly, that’s the best BBN article I’ve read. Usually, they just repeat whatever news memo was issued.

And now I must go check out the avacodo trees in my community since we apparently have the best avacados in Belize. Yay!

Rastaman news on fb had a good write up too. He's super funny and sarcastic.

@ BunnieMarie
people are corrupt all over the world
you don't have to be part of it

So, another tragic and sad event in Belize, and in Hopkins. No real details I am aware of yet.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/09/05 … elize.html

Ok reopening an older thread, but I feel it is relevant to previous discussion.
So we all HAVE to believe how dangerous Belize is because statistically the murder rate is high, we should live in fear.
 
Lets put it into some perspective, How many  Belize schools NEED to teach their students how to lock down the school for a shooter alert.

Today My Grand daughter sent me a text in the middle of the day out of the Blue  to say she loved me. 2 minutes later her sobbing mom called  me. The school was on 'lock down' because of  a shooting directly outside, and they were still looking for gun man/men who  could possibly have entered the school. 
My grandughter sent out texts to all the people she  loves,the  same message as the one to me, because she wanted us to know it, just  in case the shooter was in the building and she might not come home.  No 14 year old school kid should have to be even thinking like this.

So really how many times has that  lock down because of a shooting, scenario played out this year alone,  in the USA? Multiple times and some  kids didn't get home.
How many times has anything like that happened in Belize never, ever.

Gun man not found yet but police now do not believe he entered the school, so all school kids and staff safe.

For one thing its a question of criminology: the school shooters are mentally ill perhaps psychotic.
The criiminals in Belize, the ones caught and who target expats, are just thugs. So school kids in the USA seem to be at risk and expats in Belize are but for different reasons. In any event I didnt leave Belize cause of fear, I Ieft for better medical services and because to be brief the place got on my nerves. I dont have  the patience for the numerous  frustrations associated with adjusting to life there. Maybe if I was much younger.

Ok so in America the school shooting criminals  all have mental illness and Guns, but In Belize the criminals are just all bad people.
No sweeping judgements there then.
If you chose to leave Belize  for what eve,r that is your decision not everyone is going to be happy anywhere, and finding somewhere you can be happier is the only sensible thing to do,   Going  back onto the  Belize forum time after time reiterating the crime in Belize is so bad, seems to come across as that was a major motivation for leaving.

terrific wrote:

If you chose to leave Belize  for what eve,r that is your decision not everyone is going to be happy anywhere, and finding somewhere you can be happier is the only sensible thing to do,   Going  back onto the  Belize forum time after time reiterating the crime in Belize is so bad, seems to come across as that was a major motivation for leaving.

Lets face it, she is a Troll, she is not going to be happy until every expat leaves Belize... I learned a long time ago, the only effective way to deal with Trolls is not to give them the attention they seek.

The term that was coined back in the FidoNet BBS/Netmail days (before the internet), is "Don't feed the trolls." 

This forum is for information exchange. Civilized debates are part of learning. Labelling somebody a troll cause u dont agree with them is not helpful. I want to hear from people who live there and those who did and left. Thing is crimes are motivated by many factors but psychosis is common in school shooters combined with easy  gun access in the USA. In Belize from what I read poverty and money greed are factors. Expats are going to be targets then for obvious reasons so home invasions are going to happen

I posted that because I think everybody needs to be aware of incidents like this. I don't feel Belize is unsafe. I wouldn't have bought here if I did, but I think we all need to be aware of our environment and the situation we choose to live in, or put ourselves in. This is not a common scenario, but all of us relocating need to be aware that there is crime here too, and you need to pay attention to your surroundings as well as the people you befriend.

Manchurian candidates have been activated ... those who commit suicide after their atrocities are brain washed to do so.,mainly  so they can not be questioned.

Welcome to the Forum  57Mark.
For a first post you are doing well.
Teaching those here what the forum is for.
Deciding that what you have "read" is the motivating factor for all crime in a country you have not visited, while explaining away far more prevalent crimes within the US to purely Mental illness.
Chastising an actual Belize expat ( i.e. one who lives in Belize) for calling out a former expat for her  multiple negative posts.
Telling Expats what to expect in the country you do not know.

Funny First poster usually introduce themselves and ask a few questions instead of just wieghing in on a long and somewhat contentious thread that has been going for a couple of years.

Belize is a small country that because of its size comes up very high in the statistics of crime. The fact that the  Vast Majority of that crime is within  Belize City and among gang members is mostly ignored.
I do not think all expats are  simply targets for crime.
   
By the way when did Burglary become renamed as  Home invasion, admit it is a much scarier sounding term.

Is there any place on the internet that shows the number of "Expats" who are subject of crime within the USA in ant time period?
No as those figures are not kept anywhere, plus in the US non citizens are rarely if ever referred to as EXPATS.  The Media  usually says  either legal or illegal immigrants.


Happy Birthday Belize this independence weekend.

Excellent observation KARENJOE.  As a resident of Belize for the last nine years I totally agree.  You are right on with every point you made.

@terrific
You are correct. An introduction seems fair
I am a semi retired legal aid criminal trial lawyer. I know a bit about criminology. I  live in Toronto. I am considering Belize, Mexico and Costa Rica. I was in Belize on a 2 week nature tour in 2008 which makes me no expert. I enjoyed it though the poverty and sickly dogs  were  a bit oppressive. Very nice welcoming people overall.
The crime stats in Belize are indeed skewed by the gang drug faction. Burglary and home invasion are not the same item. The former prefer to avoid human contact. The cases of the latter I reviewed in Belize are a more violent faction and do seem to go after expats. I was struck by how many expats live behind walls  with crushed glass and bars. I am sure most do not.
My main point was that I want to hear  from expats who are happy there and why and expats who left and are happy elsewhere and why.
It seems like some here get pissy and defensive about the last group and start in with the labelling. This is unhelpful to truth finding.

Hi 57 Mark
I actually do mean welcome to the forum.

Yes there are lots of people myself  included, on here who are very Happy living in Belize. and no, I have no desire to live behind high walls with crushed Glass.  Nor do i want to live in a concrete Mc Mansion.

I personally have only once felt unsafe in Belize and that was a belligerent Drunk American Tourist,  blocking me from getting to my truck, Until My 6ft 5 son appeared. could have happened anywhere.  Last year I took a wrong turning  and immediately knew I was definately in the wrong part of Belize city, but I still didn't feel inhibited enough not to stop and ask directions, which were actually reasonably succinct for Belize, and I found the road I needed.

I have to admit my History with Belize was a long one well before we ever decided it was going to be our retirement home. Advice is always visit at least a couple of times before making the  life altering decision to move , which can impact on your family as well.
You did not say the areas you visited in 2008 .
I do not know of any of the high walled homes that are Obvious in the greater Cayo district,.The dog situation is also variable district to district. and even season to season.

Poverty can be in the eye of the beholder, In the areas I know best, there is Little if any apparent actual homelessness. I might be missing something but thats my experience. Because large famlies   seem to live in small houses is not always because of poverty per se, It is unusual for elder members of the family to live anywhere  other than with the family so 2 or 3 generations often live together through choice not circumstance.
It has also been assumed because a house looks a bit ramshackle and the surrounding area is untidy that it  is a sign of poverty, not always so, again it is down to choices made. Most of Belizeans work a 6 day week so the chances that the one day off is going to be spent tidying the place up is not high. Just try to be around  these small homes in the early morning as the children are going to school in their smart school uniforms  and back packs and it can change your mind.
As it is the Independence holiday at the moment, it has in the Belmopan Cayo area led to a noticeable amount of property tidying and a few folks making their homes look more inviting. Maybe an annual thing, Maybe at the suggestion of civic leaders or the churches  but Noticeable anyway.

If you wish to find out why folks sometimes get pissy, you can go into the profile of any poster and get an Idea of their past posts and you will find some posters are almost exclusively negative, while others are tying to be helpful.
Will is deffinately  on the Helpful side.

These are valid points. I travelled with Quest a nature tour company and have gone other places with them like Portugal, Ecuador, Tanzania. We were in Placencia, Cayo, and Corozal districts. Also Ambergris Caye. I liked the reef but not San Pedro. The walled homes were in Corozal district as I recall.
If I see a post that says somebody left for better  medical services or shopping then I would want to know more. You see it as negative and I see it as just another piece of data to research.
When I was there I did manage to have lunch with a lawyer named Richard Bradley and we talked shop of course. The crime situation in Belize is worrisome but whether or not expats are at long  term risk is debateable. I did learn that in say Costa Rica  expats are not home invasion targets or victims of much beyond pickpocketing.

Ive PM'd you  There is a box with a Envelope icon, if it's flashing there will be a new message to read.

Happy Belize Independence Day! We celebrated the occasion by watching the midnight fireworks and dancing to the bands in Orange Walk. Despite being a gringa and not being able to get my hips to move like the locals, we had a great time and felt very safe. It was a fantastic fireworks display that would rival many in the US so would recommend checking it out in the future.

We live in Corozal District and most houses in town or in the villages have fences and burglar bars. It’s pretty common place wether Belizian or Foreigners. Typically I feel pretty safe but I always stay aware of my surroundings, don’t flash cash or expensive jewelry and act respectfully. But, I will say that I find Belize to be a bit  like the Wild Wild West, There’s no police presence in the villages near us and  very little patrolling in town that I’ve noticed. They lack much of the forensic equipment and resources compared to the US. I included a link below to an article I found interesting about the recent expat crime.

As for healthcare and shopping that’s probably best in a separate thread but again, it’s like the Wild West. There are good doctors around and medications have seemed less expensive and fairly easy to obtain. I’ve been able to pick up some things that would require a prescription in the states like antibiotics and birth control just by asking for them in the pharmacy with no prescription needed. So in some cases it can be a bit easier and doctor visits are cheaper. But the hospital in Corozal is horrible. The hospitals in Orange Walk, the private hospital in Belize City or going to Chetumal are all better options. And we’re so remote that there’s no ambulance service that’s going to effectively help us in an emergency situation.  Also, if you do happen to go to the hospital and need blood you’ll get what’s needed to stabilize you but if you need more for a procedure you need to get donors to donate an equivalent amount. Doesn’t have to be your blood type, they just want the blood bank replenished. Found that odd when we had to donte for a neighbor in need.

And shopping is a scavenger hunt in most towns and villages. It’s not uncommon for me to make 8 stops And rare that I actually find everything on my list. But I actually like the small Mom and pop stores rather than the big box stores in the states. And I like going into the market stalls and comparing what’s available and in season.

https://www.centralamerica.com/living/s … afe-is-it/

Thank you,
I appreciate the candid PM from terrific and your info on health and shopping. The wild west is what I gleaned from my conversation with Mr Bradley. That and the ineffectiveness of the police and judiciary overall. My partner would not go for 8 stop shopping and I have concerns about emergency medical coverage. No place is for everyone but I am glad you enjoy it. Thanks again

You mean like pay to play? Yes you are good.

So so sad. Looking into retiring in Belize because of low crime rate, so scared after reading this . I would assume expats should live close to other expats and not in the more rural areas. Would this be a true statement?

It is a lot more to do with how you live than where you live.
The latest murder was in the Corozal district in an expat community.
One has to take responsibility for personal security. Believing any place (in any country) is safe because of the neighborhood is abnegating that responsibility. How many times have you seen the TV reporter interviewng neighbors after some horrible crime and being told 'We could never expect it here in our safe area.
I live pretty remote in Belize, but do not feel unsafe. I have my own security solutions in place, and do not live in a McMansion.  If you are considering Belize for long term stay/retirement,  then visit for a reasonable amount of time 6 to 8 weeks  in one or more trips. Explore several areas and preferably in different seasons. I am sure once in Belize you will be in a better position to decide if you feel "safer" in different locations, or that it seems it will not work out for you.  Then if you decide to stay longer rent fro the first few  months, two reasons A you have lost little if you change your mind, and B you can take your own time to locate the ideal home or lot to build one on without the pressure of time constraints.