Is St. Croix safe?

The statics on the crime rate shows that the USVI has one of the higher rates in the country. However most , not all, of the crime seems to be in rougher neighborhoods, bad guy on bad guy , or around bars LATE at night.
Most people never have any problems. Yes innocent people have been robbed or killed, but that happens in all places.
One of the big problems seems to be that, being a small island, many of the bad guys have family or friends of the police. My neighbor is a FBI agent assigned to a task force with the local police to track murder suspects. He says that and the fact many people are afraid to come forward to testify.

I think if a person is careful, they should be able to avoid problems.

St. Croix is as safe as Harlem, NY or Watts. The murder rate is twice as high as any state in the Union though as mentioned before, it is usually bad guy against bad guy. The problem is that it seems, with the sun, the palms, and the beautiful flowers that you are in paradise. There is a tendency to let your guard down. St. Croix has a "small town atmosphere" but you had better not try to live like it is a small town. You will need to live with awareness of your surroundings at all times. You can't safely leave your house unlocked. You had better be careful where you are late at night. As I mentioned in another post, my wife was robbed at gunpoint in the middle of the day at her job in a busy area. We have had our car broken into while at the beach before we learned we had to look out for ourselves. At the hospital recently, some thugs walked in and shot and killed a patient recovering from wounds from a previous fight. Note that none of the nurses or other staff was hurt and note, too, that the police now have a significant presence there. Unfortunately, there are not enough police to go around for the whole island.

To answer your question. St. Croix can be a safe enough place. Most people in San Francisco or New Orleans are not mugged or robbed or raped. If you act like you are in a city, you will be fine. Most places ARE safe and some are affordable. You do NOT have to go around being afraid and 99% of the people here are wonderful and will be glad to help you and bring you mangos or bananas!

Antiqueone,very well said. While visiting the lovely US Virgin islands, St Croix to be exact I have never felt a threat at all, but I am always sure of my surroundings and very careful not to put myself in a bad situation. If we as people knew when something bad were about to happen, I think we would vacate the area, you just never know. Here is to hoping I can make the jump someday soon, Enjoy what you have in da Vi, cause we ain't got it here, stuck in the desert.

well i live in Lavallee and you may think i'm naive in saying this,but i think this is one of the safest places to live on STX and yes the waterfront bars may get robbed from time to time but the actually neighborhood gets left alone and I Believe it's because the people here in lavallee are related and have lived here for a couple hundred years, i do not lock my doors and never have but we do have dogs but anyone who lives here knows our dogs, they may sell drugs under the tree but i tell you what, those guys see everything that happens here and that in itself is a deterrant(sp) and so i think there is a tradeoff of some sorts, no one complains about the drug sales and the neighborhood gets protected from outsiders

trw, you are so right. Sometimes I work very late, and have to walk the dogs when I get home. The people on the corner near me are dealing drugs, and they are up and about every hour of the night. We exchange pleasant greetings, and I go about my merry way, knowing that someone is watching out for me. I don't know if they think I'm so naive that I don't know what is going on, or I don't care, but it works for me.

Is St Croix considered more or less safe than St Thomas?

Is St Croix considered more or less safe than St Thomas?

They're both roughly the same, although I would lean more toward St. Croix but that's just my bias....

I lived in coastal So. ME and was robbed 4 x's in 5 years, I've never had any issues on STX, You learn to trust the vibe.

I've know plenty of people that have been robbed. Best advice I can give is to use much greater caution when you're out at night. Park in a good well lighted spot, even if you have to drive around awhile to find it. Walk to your cars in a group and drive friends to their cars, especially if they are on their own. I don't know anyone who was robbed daytime expect for people that went to deserted beaches or left valuables in their cars. When you leave town get a housesitter and don't tell people you are going out of town. Get a couple of dogs. Be proactive, the police can't or won't do little after the fact. Life is a risk no matter what.

A read worth reading:

http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article?id=17619494

That article really makes you rethink moving to the islands. Is there a concealed weapon law in the VI? Can you legally carry a concealed weapon?

chance12, here is a thread about gun laws here: https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,64738,65073

Also, as daunting as that article is there were 35 murders in the USVI where there were 41 in Tampa and 274 in New Orleans in the same year. Just a different perspective.

Yes, but Tampa has a much bigger population.

Yes it is, I forgot to add that per 100,000 residents New Orleans had 85 homicides - USVI had 35. I'm not sure what Tampa's was.

David
After reading the post about guns you attached it seems they are legal in the islands. It also seems to be very controversial. How about tasers for protection? Mace? I carry a whistle on my keychain, never had to use it though and not sure how much it would help.
I did take a Krav Maga class this past year.

Chance12, if you are so concerned about crime on STX, rethinking your move might be a wiser option than arriving armed.

Linda J
I'm not so concerned ,but theres nothing wrong with being informed. Why are you trying to deter me from moving?? And I'm NOT arriving armed. Isn't this forum to ask questions to become informed or do you just like to live in the dark and not know whats going on around you? Ignorance is bliss? Being informed is smart, not doing something you want to do just because of what MIGHT happen is stupid!

You have to have permits to carry a gun.

I'm not going to carry a gun, just wanting to be in the know. But thank you Trade for that info. Theres nothing wrong with being knowledgable of the laws and the statistics on crime, theres crime everywhere.

Chance12,
Not being cute, but what is a Krav Maga Class?

Its a self defense, the same thing that Israeli soilders are taught. Google it, its very interesting. Its becoming a big thing in the states, lots of classes being taught.

Sorry if I misunderstood. Your questions about tazers and licenses to carry confused me.

Chance12,
I looked it up, Sounds like a trained nasty street fighter. I Like the part about ,do your damage and get out of there as quickly as you can.
I Hope you never have to use your training, where you live now or on/in the USVI. I Have lived on STX a long time, never been a victim of a crime. I think I owe that to common sense and a little bit of luck. A Lot of the violent crimes are Drug Related, Gang Related. Family Feuds and Kids Killing Kids.
I don't know what the law is regarding a tazer on the Islands, I just watched a special on TV about them. They come in all different colors now. My Opinion, I think your Krav Maga training would be better than a tazer. Just use your head and you shouldn't any problems. If a problem comes your way just use your head for a head butt, and beat feet out of there.
Good Luck and God Bless!

You say you are going to be working in the hospital? About 4 weeks ago masked gunmen tied up the security gaurd went into a room and pumped dozens of rounds into a patient. Was it bad guy on bad guy? Yup. But ask the nurses who were fleeing for their lives and hiding under tables how they felt? Could this happen in the states? Yup.

That's where you'll be working...