In the Netherlands you often hear that crime in Curacao is getting worse in recent years. But is that true, and more importantly, is crime a reason not to go to Curacao?
Crime in paradise?
As all over the world you have -unfortunately- also the necessary crime in Curacao. At first, the numbers don’t seem too bad when compared to other countries. But yes … Curacao has 153,000 inhabitants.
Three groups of crime in Curaçao
Curacao crime can actually be divided into three groups:
– Daily crime such as burglaries, robberies, theft, etc. Relatively minor crime but unfortunately increasingly involving weapons such as knives and pistols. And also the crime that is most noticeable in everyday life.
– Of an entirely different order is the laundering of black or criminal money. Something that is probably prevalent throughout the Caribbean, and Curacao certainly contributes to that.
– The third group of crime in Curacao is the rock-hard world of drug smuggling. Because of its location (about 50km off the coast of mainland South America), Curacao is a good transit country to smuggle drugs towards Europe and the U.S. Fortunately, the good citizens of Curacao will see little of this; no more than the news reports of drug seizures or settlements by local drug gangs.
Causes of crime in Curacao
The causes of crime are clichéd, but therefore not easily solvable. There are several reasons for this:
The location
Curacao is relatively close to the mainland of South America. This makes it an attractive transit country for drug smuggling to Europe and the U.S., in part because of the relatively good infrastructure of a busy airport and large port.
Poverty
Even though Curacao is more developed than average for the region, there really is a lot of poverty on the island. And by that we mean the poverty where you really don’t know in the morning if you will have anything to eat in the evening.
Illegals
Curacao has some 15,000 to 20,000 illegal immigrants on the island, according to various estimates. Especially from Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Haiti, people come to Curacao hoping for a better life.
Tax climate
In terms of tax climate, Curaçao is attractive for many companies to legally pay less tax than in most other countries. But Curacao is also often abused to launder large sums of (drug) money. Similarly, in recent years there has been much ado about the industry of online gambling companies with the globally larger players in that industry often having (fictitious) headquarters in Curacao.
Small crime with big impact
Besides drugs and money laundering, you have all sorts of smaller forms of crime in Curacao. Think of store robberies, home burglaries, etc. That is why you also see that the residents of Curacao are becoming more and more secured. Almost every home has some form of extra protection around the house. Whether it’s a high wall, an alarm system, dogs in the yard or a resort with surveillance at the gate: in various forms, you’ll find security everywhere. Not for nothing do the sneks (the roadside bars that are open until late at night) almost all have the bar shielded with a lattice on it, limiting the potential robber’s access to the employees and/or cash register.
Figures 2022
To get a bit of an idea on crime: in 2022, there was an average of 40 reports of theft, burglary or robbery per week. For comparison, that is 2x as much as a city like Den Bosch which has about the same population as Curacao.
What is the government doing against crime in Curacao?
The government of Curacao seems to be doing what is possible at lower levels (police), but the “high bosses” up to the ministers do not seem to think it is important enough to really act on it. Every new Justice Minister makes a speech upon taking office with all sorts of promises about cracking down on crime, but so far those promises have turned out to be mostly empty promises.
Curacao crime entrenched in society?
There are several experts who claim that Curacao’s crime rate is so high that it contributes to the overall economic development of the island. In other words, all the money used daily in Curacao adds up to much more than what the Central Bank of Curacao reports as available financial resources. It even goes so far according to some, that if you could stop all criminal money completely, Curacao’s economy would collapse. Whether it goes that far I would not know, but in itself I would not be surprised if reality is not far from this.
Takes one to know one …
A typical problem for small islands like Curacao is that everyone knows each other. If the police needs to check on or arrest someone, the officer does think twice. There have been plenty of times when police have had threats thrown at their heads while on the job that the suspects’ friends would drop by the officers’ families. That is -understandably- a reason for the agent to occasionally look the other way anyway. But yes, in the end, this does not make it safe in Curaçao.
Can you still vacation safely in Curacao?
Is all this crime a reason not to go to Curacao anymore? No!!! Don’t let it stop you from enjoying this otherwise beautiful island. Just like in many (vacation) countries you have to be alert on Curacao for criminals who are after your wallet etc. and it is better to avoid certain neighborhoods (especially the ones with a lot of tourists like Koraal Specht, Souax and Seru Fortuna, as well as poor neighborhoods like Berg Altena/Steenrijk you better not get lost in the dark on your own). But if you are alert to such situations during your vacation, in 99% of cases there won’t be a problem. Of course the occasional tourist is mugged, just as it happens in any other (vacation) countries, or in tourist locations in the Netherlands. But certainly don’t let that be the measure that “all tourists” are targeted.
Tips for tourists on Curacao
You will never be able to 100% avoid becoming a victim of any form of crime in Curacao, just as it can happen to all of us in Amsterdam, Spain or the local market that we fall victim to a pickpocket. But of course there are some tips to reduce the risk of problems:
- Stay away from the poorer neighborhoods of Willemstad. It sounds like a cliché, but because one neighborhood transitions almost imperceptibly into another (read: a “good” neighborhood transitions imperceptibly into a “bad” neighborhood) you have to be alert to this. For tourists, one thing to watch out for is if you’ve been at Mambo Beach. Right behind Mambo is the Koraal Specht neighborhood, a not-so-good neighborhood. If you just take a wrong turn after driving off, you can suddenly find yourself in the middle of the neighborhood. Not immediate major panic, of course, but try to avoid it. But there are more neighborhoods where it’s better not to go as a (white) tourist. Fortunately, such neighborhoods are usually not directly near the tourist areas and you can also tell quite a bit from the surroundings such as the condition of most homes or whether the street is a fine asphalt road or a dirt road full of potholes and trash.
- Do not go out in the evening by semi-public transportation with the cab vans. As such, the vans themselves are okay, but the route varies based on where the passengers need to go. As a result, you run a risk of inadvertently going to places that are better off avoided as a tourist.
- Don’t look for the risk. Just as you avoid certain situations in some cities in the Netherlands, you must do the same in Curacao. For example, don’t go walking alone at night across all kinds of alleys, pay a little extra attention to your wallet in the tourist areas (Punda and Otrobanda, among others), and don’t park your car for the night in a deserted parking lot in a quiet neighborhood.
- Most beaches are reasonably safe to leave your bag there unattended for a while when you want to cool off in the sea. If you still want the extra security, go to the beaches at Jan Thiel (social control) or at Mambo Beach where security is around.
- Read this blog with some locations where you may be a bit more at risk.
Don’t be put off!!!
Enjoy Curacao!!! Don’t be too put off that Curacao is unsafe. Yes, there are incidents that make the news (in the Netherlands), but in general a tourist will notice little or nothing of crime on Curacao. Just pay a little attention, think about how and where you go and enjoy beautiful Curacao.
