Frightened by reports of violent crime

[K Sanders]

Hi, my wife is getting very worried by the reports she reads at the foreign office travel advice website regarding the levels of crime in Tobago. We and our two daughters aged 14 and 10 are staying at "Sea Edge" villa (Nr Mount Irvine Golf course for three weeks in October and she is increasingly concerned about us going out in the evenings and moving around the island by ourselves. Could anyone give us some reasurance on these matters; would it be safe to go on bike rides and walks without guides? Is visiting quieter beaches asking for trouble? Are there any "no-go areas we should be aware of? Would our daughters be safe walking to local shops for drinks or ices? Any comments or advice would be most welcome

[Steve Wooler]

Hello K

Welcome aboard!

In the same way that you can't tell me that I could come on holiday to Devon and not be subject to some sort of criminal activity, I can't do the same for Tobago.

All I can tell you is that the number of direct attacks on visitors (as opposed to burglary, generally whilst nobody is at home) are extremely rare. Personally, I never even think twice about going out at night, although like everywhere, you have to act sensibly. All I can suggest is that you read our Personal Safety article available via the Odds & Sods/Health & Safety menu and read all the other posts in this forum to get a proper 'handle' on the subject. No, there are NO 'no-go' areas. Yes, your family should be perfectly safe walking from Sea Edge into the Buccoo village shops - but be aware that any girls/women are bound to get some good-natured attention from local lads.

[David Watkins]

Hello K,I,like Steve,have been visiting the Island for a number of years and have absolutely no concerns about moving around the Island by day or night.The FO information is for Trinidad & Tobago,two islands with a totally different life style.99.9999999r% of violence occurs in Trinidad.So please don't worry,read other posts and the article on security.I live in Bude and in the high season am more concerned about being out at night than I ever am in Tobago.
You will have a wonderful time,
David(17 weeks to go )
ps incidently,with a population of just over 50,000 any crime is reported is main news!!!!!!

[Jane H]

Hi K,

Can I just echo what Steve and David have said. Tobago is a wonderful island - and you should have no more worries than if you were going to any European resort/island. As anywhere, don't go flashing bling left, right and centre and take sensible precautions about taxis, walking around etc at night.

You will find that everyone is really friendly when you are travelling round the island - so please don't worry about visiting Tobago. Most of the advice refers to Trinidad - and my god-daughter who lives there says that much of the reporting is overdramatic and refers to certain definite areas.

Jane

[Ronald]

Hi all

Even if Tobago is a friendly place and, as a role, there aren no "No-Go-Areas", I would like to point out some information about that.

Last friday, Tobago was hit by a LOT of crime in the Crown Point Area. Kariwak was robbed, also a guesthouse nearby Jimmy's minimart and also some other places in the south. On top of that several peoples was beaten and robbed on the road between Crown Point-Bon Accord-Canaan.

I was one of them, the "gentleman" did hit my metal frame glasses into my face, both eyes was bleading, right eye is still very red, and I was partly blind for a while because of that.
This did happen on the road between Bamboo Mile and the House of Pancake, a bit further on from the gas station.
The doctor did take seven X-Ray of my head, but nothing seems to be broken and the eye-doctor say the eye will be OK even if it will take a while. The Police and the Hospitals was doing a god job for me, they were very helpful.

Many now say, do not walk on the main road during fridays-saturdays, the disco "The Shade" bring many criminals to the area. Use H-taxis in the evening or own car. If you go to the Shade, stay by your friends, keep everyone you don't know on distance.

I'll still return to Tobago, because I have so many good friends there, and I like to walk around (day time). The longest walk this time was from Bon Accord via Black Rock-Arnos Vale-Golden Lane-Moriah up to Castara, a seven hours walk. My friends at Store Bay believe I'm crazy, they hardly walk some 200m!

But, forget the Old All Friendly Tobago, now we have to take care in a way we didn't have to do 3-4 years ago.

Ronald

[Dr Stefan Rustscheff]

Dear Ronald, I am sorry to hear what has happened. I wish You a speedy recovery. Have You returned to Sweden and had a Swedish doctor examine Your eye? Or is it just a "red-all-over" subconjunctival bleeding?
If not, it can´t hurt to be on the safe side to have a checkup here as well. If You need help to arrange that e-mail me at my personal e-mail.

Stefan R (actually on call at the hospital when writing this...)

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Ronald

I was SO sorry to read your report. To be honest, I'm too shocked to express myself. It has certainly been a bad two weeks. I hope you recover soon.

[Ronald]

Hi all

No, I'm still in England, all flights to Stockholm/Sweden was chancelled on friday. Because my glasses was broken, using weak reading-glasses now, I couldn't change my ticket, maybe because so many was trying at the same time. It wasn't possible to see the screen all the time eighter.

But with help from a spanish man I was able to buy a ticket to Gothenburg on monday morning, from there I'll take the train to Stockholm. That ticket is still confirmed so I hope...

When I'm back at the office I guess our doctor will have a look at my eye, I'll not be able to work until I have my new glasses. Right now it's my wright eye red on the left side, the left eye seems to be OK now. But I see better and better every day.

Thank's both of you

[Susanne F.]

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen
First of all I want to congratulate very much to and thank for this extremly helpful and well done info page about Tobago.
A week ago, we have just confirmed our 3-weeks holiday for the next Christmas/New Year time in Tobago, Crown Point, which we are of course very much looking forward. But after reading all these horror stories about crime, murdering, raping woman in Tobago, I - do not regret having booked it yet - but feel a bit concerned about what could really face to tourists there. We booked the Toucan Inn and we intend to WALK every day to Pigeon, as these 40 min. with temperature around 30 degrees will not affect us much. We will of course also rent a car, but of course only for one week when we intend to do sightseeing. Now I am concerned how safe it will be walking daily to Pigeon in the morning and back to Toucan Inn in the late afternoon? How safe it is really to have dinner every evening in different restaurants, close to the Hotel, walking distances? I really do not wish to rent a car for the whole stay - just to have it parked while spending whole day at the beach. My husband is a kitesurfer, and I would of course not appreciate it being raped or hurt seriously while enjoying sun at the beach and watching my husband happily surfing in the water..I would not care much about if somebody would steal the beach towel, the sunglasses or the sun protection, as these items have no value and these kind of thefts happen even here in Switzerland.

I would like to mention that I spent many years - together with my venezuelan husband, in Venezuela. On islands as well on main land. And everybody knows that Venezuela belongs to one of the most dangerous countries on earth. But I have to say that never ever happened something bad to us, nor living there as a single woman, nor as married. But the point is that I always knew where to go and where not to go and how to behave and of course always applied certain security measures. I was never really frightened. And the fact that my spanish is not differring much of any local woman is not sparing me of crime in Venezuela, the most awful things can happen there to anybody, no matter if local or tourist.
Therefore the only real painful thing in Venezuela - for me - is that everything is extremly complicated, corrupt, etc. and because of significant politicial happenings this December we choosed to spend our most beautiful time of the year in Tobago.

But we will be real turists, searching around for streets, restaurants, walking to beaches, etc. we may be very ordínary people, no Rolex, no Blahnik shoes, but we still have no idea of Tobago.

Please, who could tell me a bit about walking to Pigeon and around restaurant area in Crown Point, and about visiting remoted beaches?

Honestly, I cannot imagine that Tobago could be more dangerous than Venezuela ?

Thank you very much in advance.
Friendly regards,
Susanne

[Steve Wooler]

Hello Susanne

Welcome to the forum!

I can assure you that Tobago is NOWHERE near as dangerous as Venezuela or any of the islands off Venezuela. The difference is that you have a medium here where these things can be openly discussed and talked about. That probably gives the subject more prominence than it deserves. However it is important to all of us, so I make no apology for that.

I was not aware that there had been any rapes in Crown Point or immediate areas. Where have you read this? What are "all these horror stories"? I suspect that sum total of all the Tobago incidents mentioned in this site - which cover four years - are roughly the equivalent of any 1-2 hours in any major city in the world.

Yes, over the last 3-4 years there have been a small number of isolated burglaries which have involved sexual assault, including rape. To the best of my knowledge, the culprits of most of these terrible crimes have been caught and are behind bars.

It is a sad fact of life that the old days are gone. Yes, Tobago is not as safe as it once was. However, all things are relative. I would still walk alone anywhere in Tobago, even in the middle of the night. I wouldn't do that in London or any of our British major cities. Can you honestly say that you can walk anywhere in Zurich without fear of crime?

Nobody can give you guarantees about walking in Crown Point or anywhere else in Tobago. Yes, you must follow all the common sense precautions that you would do at home or anywhere else. All I can tell you is that I shall be returning to Tobago for seven or eight weeks early next year and it won't stop me walking where I want to, when I want to. I guess the tragic difference is that now I will probably be viewing other pedestrians with more suspicion than I once did. That is a terrible sad fact of life.

[David Watkins]

Once again,I have to agree withSteve!Tobago IS safe--as long as you behave as you would at home.No flash,no bling and worst of all to treat our hosts as ..............which is where I think a lot of localised problems occur!
David,without a smiley this time!!

[Gisela Grell]

Hi to all,

I'm really sorry to hear what happened to Ronald and hope he will get well soon.

What makes me really sad (like David said - without a smile) is that Tobago is such a lovely place and most of the people are very friendly. They try to take care of the tourists and if something like with Ronald happend they all try to catch the ones who make the trouble.
I never felt more save than the times I was in Tobago. Especially as a woman travelling alone I never felt unsave and I will go back again and again.
I remember when I was in Castara in Oktober 2005 a house in or close to Castara was robbed. Everybody in the village was searching for the guys who did that and in the end the police catched them. Surely better for them if somebody else would have catched them. Every housekeeper stayed close to their geusthouses in the night and took care that time. My friends who were the first time in Tobago were shocked in the beginning but in the end very pleased about the support we had from everybody.

I'm a little bit tired to write about the good sides of Tobago (which are 99 %) to make the people believe that Tobago is save....

Hope the crime will stay as small as it was befor.

Gisela

[Susanne F.]

Many thanks to Gisela, Steve and David for their extremely quick reply.

I was happy to read and being confirmed that my feelings were right that the crime in Tobago could nowhere be like it happens in Venezuela!

In order to answer Steve´s questions in his replying mail to me: in this forum, I have read clearly that robbery attacks have happend in Crown Point area, women had been raped on Tobago beaches and also villas, an ordinary looking man have been killed trying to interfere while another man was bothering sexually a women, a swedish gentlemen have been hurt in the face (eyes) while being attacked in Crown Point area....etc.

I agree and I do can imagine, that a lot of Tobago-specialist, resp. persons being very familiar with Tobago, are getting very tired reading worries about security.

While reading the replying lines to my message, I remembered when I was living in Venezuela and many friends, Swiss girlfriends, came to visit me, and ALL of them were concerned about security...(like me now)....and while I went ON AND ON telling and assuring them that it were a relative thing and that it depends on behaving and also about not calling attention, etc. at the end, never ever happend something to nobody of my friends of course...

We are very ordinary and normal people, having spent different stages of life in different circumstances and places in Venezuela - secure and less secure places in Venezuela, during quiet times and also during politically difficult times, what could be more dangerous? Therefore I still want to keep my imagines that Tobago may be as sure as Switzerland - which is again a relative thing too. Switzerland may be one of the most secure places in Europe - we walk at 2 am in the morning securely and without worries in the streets towards home...but nobody and nothing in lífe has a 100% guarantee...

Furthermore - what Steve already mentioned: this forum platform offers a possibility to talk very frankly about this topic....that´s maybe why this topic must have become a serious dimension...Furthermore, maybe, as Tobago has a very small population, being a very small place, therefore crime and other critical happenings have to be rated relatively?

I guess, if I would go and read a forum about crime in Venezuela, I do not want to know the quantity which I would have to have to read daily, and the dimensions of crime, etc.....

Conclusion: We are very much looking forward and will be travelling in December to Tobago - no doubt -, trying out, finding out, exploring Tobago and enjoying the island. We are very anxious about everything, the local people as well as the island´s nature, food and beaches. We will come back to this forum and tell about our experiences after having headed back home.

Friendly regards,
Susanne and Juan Luis
from Zurich, Switzerland

[David Watkins]

Susanne F,I am pleased that we have reassured you.Have great time,and if you get up to Castara come and say hello over a bottle of Carib !
David(105 days to go )

[Gisela Grell]

Hi Susanne,

thank you for this words and I'm sure you will enjoy your time in Tobago.

David, I hope you will give Susanne a couple of Caribs when you are able to meet her.

Best whishes
Gisela

[David Watkins]

Oh yes!The beers are on ice.Just as a comparison,St Lucia,a similar island to Tobago,with a population of 120,000,has just suffered it 25th(TWENTY-FIFTH), murder this year.Is Tobago safe?????
David