Is crime in STT out of control?

Adding to the previous message allot of people that i have met in st thomas say that the Inequality between the have and the have not is greater than the U.S. The virgin islands have the highest unemployment rate in the U.S and the largest percentage of people living of the government. Soon i am opening a Place of Business retail in a famous Marina in the waterfront even thou they have allot of security allot of people tell me to avoid the driving late at night torse peterborg because i could be follow. I don't know who to believe so far my experience has been great i love my house and my views but i am getting all this negative vibe from people I don't know?

The Lexus lx 570 start at over $73,000 sticker list price brand new - that kind of show of wealth is likely to attract some unwanted attention in many places not just ST T. Most of the properties in Peterborg are high priced as well. Gates look like they are protecting something of value but do allow your access as you mentioned.
My experience over decades here has been similar to the description you mentioned of your experience in Puerto Rico and Miami.
I would think that the people there would all "have a crime story to tell you" as well.

Hi rokipatel,
You got it right in your first post. If you aren't involved in crime activities and don't do stupid things, you greatly decrease your chances of being a victim. No offense to Puerto Rico. I love it! But....I can't imagine the crime on STT is nearly as bad as PR. We're smaller, so it's bigger news.
And about the new car, I would be more concerned about potholes, people parking too close and dinging you, that kind of thing. Glad you are enjoying your new home. Please keep doing so!

I know 3 people who drive a Lexus & 2 are female. Nothing's happened to them. I've been here 26 years & have not been a victim HERE but do know of others who have which is the same situation as everywhere else.

I'm a 63 year old female & I'm not scared & have no need of a Doberman. I find it kind of funny that so many men are so frightened. My dogs are pets, not bodyguards. If a dog barks, that's all that's necessary.

San Juan Metro area has over 2 million people and that is not counting visitors at any moment San Juan every day has over 3 million people remember that puerto rico receives over 5 million tourist a year the highest in the caribbean region. The difference between San Juan and St thomas that you don't ever need to pass thru bad neighborhoods to get to your house shopping or anything like doing business it is very unlikely that you will go to los Barrios and Caserios to do anything. Although St Thomas is so Small and almost every street goes thru a questionable neighborhood so it is harder to avoid them. I also think as per my research that st thomas per capita of crime is way higher than San Juan just look the population of St thomas is about 60 ,000 thousand people in total and look at the amount of muggings and murder it has. In Regards to having a luxury SUV is the same car i have In miami and i simply think is very reliable my dad has the same in older version in Puerto rico and it works fine on pot holes it actually has better shock system than a jeep.

IN Puerto rico almost 99% of murders and killings not say 100% is all related to drug traffic. You rarely see middle class or the upper classes people have any problems with crime. That does not mean it does not happen but i have allot of friends and family and i never heard any crime stories besides what the newspaper show related to drug business. Do you know Puerto rico has one of the lowest crime rates against tourist in the region?

Roki: I look forward to your business in the famous marina! 😉

in the southwest florida paper today i read where a drive by shot out the windows of a miami police station. we are getting high crime over here on the west coast of florida just 100 miles away in what was a small sleepy town.

A few months ago on STX there were drive by shootings around the Castle Coakley area. They were some bad guys driving and seeing other bad guys driving and shooting as they passed each other on the road. Kind of a "stay outa my turf". No real gangs here that I know of, only neighborhood vs. neighborhood, maybe drug dealer vs. drug dealer, but very rare. VIPD cracked down. You don't see that happen much at all (driveby shootings I mean, not VIPD cracking down).

Although it is getting worse (crime). Last night (Wednesday , April 2) the Stop and Rob (sorry, I meant Stop and Save) was robbed somewhere between 8-9 on STX. I SOMETIMES SHOP THERE when Scooner Bay doesn't have what I want. Many people around at that time... bad guys are getting brazen. Heard one bad guy got shot though. He might even be the guy who has been robbing people by shotgun lately. Paradise, huh?

I only know one or two people who claim to have been robbed on STX. One was even a Law Enforcement Officer!!! Robbed twice!!! He was one of those kinda goofy guys who probably shouldn't wear a gun to work. Walking around looking like a fish outa water...when I saw him walking down the road, even I wanted to mug him!!

Anyway, don't just get a dog for protection. I have four myself. People say, four dogs..are u crazy? Maybe, but I sleep very well at night. Not just for the protection they offer, but they are four of my best friends.

I love dogs to i have 2 a shitzu and a golden retriever but they are not guard dogs the only good thing is that the small one she is sharp if someone even gets near the house she will bark and let me know. I grew up with doberman dogs and they are extremely smart and efficient and very good pets. If someone gets to my backyard they have to deal with a stealth killing machine.

Since you already have three dogs, you maybe don't want any more to deal with.
If security of your homestead is a concern, I would seriously look into electronic security measures for around the house. Motion activated vicious dog sounds via a home theatre setup (a dog you can't see is more scarey, I think)
Motion activated floodlights and lawn sprinkler system too.
You might not get a determined thug to leave but the majority of them will go elsewhere.

Well I have some crime stories to tell... I've been living on STX for a little over a week now. I've just moved here from the middle of the Bronx, so I feel like I have at least a modicum of street smarts... However, since I've been here I've already been caught in the middle of a shootout and saw someone get gunned down (say what you want about NYC, never saw anything like that before), and I've also had my vehicle stolen while staying the night at a friend's place (car was in a highly visible, well-lit, well-traveled area, and it was definitely a legal spot near the water in Csted). I had thought no police force could be worse than the NYPD as far as lack of caring/interest but I was wrong, VIPD is an order of magnitude worse... heck, our taxi driver was more helpful and sympathetic. I had been pretty excited to move here, I was fulfilling a life-long dream of spending some time living in the Caribbean but now I'm being forced to reconsider my life's direction. I had never expected it to be a permanent holiday on an island paradise by any means but even still I've been hugely disappointed. I've met some great people and the average person on the street seems to be genuinely friendly, but clearly the island is not a happy place. Anyway, food for thought on the crime issue.

sorry but i beg to differ

I really don’t understand why there are not more arrests and convictions on the islands. First, there’s no where to go. It’s not like a criminal can easily flee to the next state. Second, it’s not easy to make a quick getaway because of the roads. Third, there are generally witnesses. Finally, most everyone knows everyone so it seems like people would talk.

Crime is a problem in the VI, probably more so here than many other places....BUT

I've lived on STX for almost 5 years. I work, go out to eat, shop...all the regular things and in 5 years I've never experienced "crime" myself.

But life is short. If crime or the threat of crime seems too much to handle, try moving somewhere else instead of the USVI.

People don't snitch for a variety of reasons:

Fear of reprisal (small community)
Many are related (small community)
A few corrupt police (small community)
Police related to suspects (small community)

CSI is on TV, not here.

Trade - that explains it. The implication is that it would also be difficult to come up with an impartial jury of your peers. I imagine a situation where a lawyer asks if anyone in the jury pool knows the defendant and half the people raise their hands….

Precisely, plus we have an insane judge who lets violent criminals out on little or no bond when they have a record & good evidence against them so witnesses don't care to be their next victim.

And former governors who pardon mass murderers.

There's that, too. 🙁

well the other half was up for jury duty for a 3 month period so he had to call in every monday to see if he needed to report for possible selection that day, he had to go and sit 4 times in the 3 months and was called up and questioned twice and was released both times, so he never had to actually serve, lol but neither side wanted him as a juror either time, my guess is that he is a white guy in his 40's, who knows