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Safety And The Police, Honduras

Maria Kowalska

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Large parts of Honduras remain relatively safe for tourists, and travel in rural areas is generally an informative exercise in mutual trust and respect. In the cities however, street crime is a serious and growing concern; pickpocketing and bag or jewellery snatches are predominantly opportunistic and can be prevented by exercising basic caution. While the centre of Tegucigalpa is reasonably safe at night, consider taking a taxi if it's late or you're on your own; Comayagüela, particularly around the market area, is not considered safe to walk around at all at night. On the north coast drugs enter the equation: San Pedro Sula has a thriving gang culture and the highest crime rates in the country, while in the north coast towns, Tela particularly, muggings and physical attacks (including rape) on tourists have increased. Once again, the chances of anything occurring can be reduced by using some common sense: don't flash around money or valuables, and try to remain aware of where you are and how you are returning to your hotel. None of the beaches around the towns are considered safe at night. The police , though now separate from the armed forces, are unlikely, overall, to be of much help if something does happen, but any incidents of theft should be reported for insurance purposes.