Belmopan - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
From my experience, the condition of the roads and vehicles, as well as the overall driving habits in Belize are the biggest day to day safety concerns. I highly recommend NOT driving at night. Be extra vigilant. If you are in an accident, regardless of fault, expect very little assistance from local police. There have been several instances since I have been here where Americans have been involved in traffic accidents that were caused by negligence of a local driver, and the police found a way to either blame the American or claim that nobody was at fault. Follow the RSO's rules as far as off-limits areas (essentially areas that there is no reason to be anyway) and chances of being a victim of violent crime is pretty remote. - Jun 2026
There is a lot of petty crime throughout the country and if you don’t put yourself in a compromising position you are unlikely to find trouble. For this reason most Embassy employees do not go out to bars or restaurants after 9 pm. Stay out of Belize City - lots of drug-related crime. - Feb 2019
There is a high homicide rate but those appear to be targeted attacks. And the usual security concerns in the developing world but nothing too serious. - Jun 2015
Belize has one of the top five highest murder rates in the world. The culture is very revenge-based with high poverty, so there is a lot of violent crime both for locals and tourists (muggings, rapes, pirate attacks on boat charters). Belize City is extremely dangerous. - Jun 2015
No serious concerns beyond the usual precautions. Except for some neighborhoods in Belize City (not often frequented by foreigners), crime, particularly violent crime, seems fairly low. - Jan 2011