Tuesday, April 18, 2006

What worries us ?

Robberies and assaults on businesses, citizens and tourists.

The lack of an integrated security plan for Antigua.

posted by vigilante at 9:25 PM

4 Comments:

Anonymous loroloco said...

Should Antigua succumb to delincuency, Guatemala's tourism strategy will be jeopardized.

In view of the wide spread insecurity issues that prevailing in Antigua, many foreign investments in
tourism related businesses are seriously considering pulling out of the country . The tourism industry will never go forward in Guatemala if meaningful measures are not taken to effectively counter the violent
actions that put visitors,residents and businesses at risk in key tourism destinations. It is a pending fact that if Antigua looses its credibility as a result of assaults, robberies, rapes, and abductions, Guatemala will loose the prestige of its flagship destination, the positive travel press coverage it has received, last but not least its present investors, and future opportunities. The international press is monitoring the climate closely hoping pro- active actions are deployed by the
authorities to counter these agressions.and if nothing is done to counter these agressions,they will surely endorse their respective embassy's travel advisories and refrain from promoting a country destination that might put their co-nationals (and readers) at risk.

It is hard to believe that delinquency against tourists is down 30% as the statistics say. For most living in the Antigua area the reality is perceived as the contrary . What is probably true is that the filing of complaints with the PNC is most likely down 30% as a result of PNC's loss of credibility. Also, tourists are advised to call their respective embassy rather than the police if they encounter trouble. This to avoid adding more grief to the already regrettable . This will obviously affect statistics to the downside as "assaults unreported" to the PNC,do not count! Gangs of delinquents have for years been known to operate in total impunity around Antigua, as well as in other destinations. Most know that. It would be a wise investment for the authorities to spend the necessary funds on saving Antigua and in implementing surgical measures to deal with theproblem, a gooddeal better than risk loosing the country's main tourism catalyst. The community will surely welcome and support any government initiative that provides safety to its population and harshly sanction those who jeopardize it.

6:02 PM  
Anonymous code9 said...

There is no doubt , organized crime is imbeded
almost everywhere in Guatemala; tourism operators, hotels,
banks, house staff etc... are contaminated by infomants
who pass on relevant information to a network of delincuents.
This pertinant information on bank withdrawals, evaluation of
valuables in private homes,boats, tourist transfers etc.. lead
to assault,and robbery in some cases those are aggravated by rape.
To a foreigner living or doing business in such climate is not
an option, less so for an investor, especially when in tourism.
Today it seems the only tourism experience possible in
Guatemala is "reality" tourism, for both visitors and investors.
It is unfortunate but that is the stark reality. Keep safe.

11:40 AM  
Anonymous enlasmanosdedios said...

Police and civil Intelligence is needed to root out delincuents
in their nest. Problem = the law protects them. If they are not caught in the act,
there is no case, and in forwarding suspicion one might even get accused of slander!

11:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Carjacking in Guatemala is sometimes a violent form of motor vehicle theft. It is a serious threat to personal safety because the thief uses force and fear to rob our car from us. Sometimes the car owner or other occupants are kidnapped during a carjacking, and if lucky will be dropped off nearby unharmed. The worst case scenario occurs when you are transported to a secondary crime scene, which is usually more dangerous than the original confrontation. Those not so lucky victims have suffered other crimes like rape, aggravated assault. Car theft is increasing at a rapid pace in Antigua. Could making Antigua a walking environment help. many think YES!

3:39 PM  

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