Is Haiti Safer Than What The Public Perceives?

Haiti has always been projected as a country with a high crime rate. Because of media reports on crimes happening in the country, the public thinks that it is unsafe and dangerous to live in Haiti. However, there are reports suggesting that Haiti is safer than what the media shows. According to some reports, homicide rates in Port-au-Prince, the nation's capital, has decreased to 3 per 100,000 people. The rate is better than that of neighboring country Jamaica, where the homicide rate is at 52 per 100,000 people. Costa Rica also recorded a higher homicide rate than Haiti, with 11 per 100,000 people.

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While the Haiti national police have always been viewed as a poor and weak security force, two social scientists reported that the public considers the police's security efforts favorable. The public does not even want to revive a disbanded army just to maintain peace and order in the country because they already believe in the national police force. This report, which was headed by Robert Muggah and Athena Kolbe, contains information different from the common perception that the national police are incapable and unpopular. The report gathers data taken from surveys between 2005 and 2011.

Haiti has been devastated by a deadly earthquake in 2010 and since then, there has been a high number of crime incidences involving drugs, robbery, murders and others. However, experts believe that what the country needs is to rebrand itself as a safe, historical, cultural, and artistic destination in order to draw in and attract more people.

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