The U.S. State Department has issued significant travel advisories for popular destinations.
The advisory, issued Friday, warns travelers to “exercise increased caution” when traveling to the Bahamas due to the possibility of crime. The alert is a level 2, indicating widespread violent and organized crime, with limited law enforcement response capacity.
“The State Department assesses the crime threat level on New Providence (which includes Nassau and Paradise Islands) as critical. The majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport). Crime also occurs in the surrounding Family Islands, but is much less common than on New Providence or Grand Bahama,” the alert states.
In the tourist town of Nassau, residents were urged to be vigilant in the “Over the Hill” area south of Shirley Street due to reports of violent crimes including theft, armed robbery and sexual assaults.
The warning comes after the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas issued an alert urging citizens to be vigilant, noting that “18 murders have occurred in Nassau since the beginning of 2024,” USA Today reported. The murders have occurred in broad daylight and are believed to be motivated by retaliatory gang violence.
The Embassy advises travellers to:
Use extreme caution in East New Providence (Nassau). Use caution when walking and driving at night. Remain inconspicuous. Be aware of your surroundings. Do not physically resist robbery attempts. Review your personal security plan.
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