How about you prove that you're right? That's how we do it in the US. Our information is open and freely available--Cuba's is not.
... just sort of walking around when all of the sudden, the Cuban Army shows up. Hauls 'em into the jail and holds them in cells that would make Gitmo look like a Hilton for 2 days. Released them two days later with no explanation of charges or why they were picked up. $500 camera--gone. $400 US cash--gone. Army didn't know anything about it, of course.
My god.. i taught Guantanamo was bad
In general, Cuban police lean over backwards not to molest tourists since Cuba is so dependent on tourism for income and since Cubans are basically very polite people and hospitable to strangers.
Personal security on the island is in general quite good. Until recently, crime was little known. That is changing with the continued economic hard times and we have seen a rise in crime which reached dangerous levels in '97 and '98 in certain areas such as Old Havana (Habana Vieja) and parts of Santiago, where purse snatchings and muggings were common. Because of this, there is now extra vigilance by the police who have taken to asking for IDs a lot more frequently and crime has gone down all over. Such ID checks are common in tourist and high visibility areas such as the Malecon along the Havana shore. It is less common in non-tourist areas. There are recent (2001) changes in the penal code which drastically increase prison sentences, though prisoners are eligible for parole after serving half of their sentences, unlike the US where parole is increasingly not part of the picture. Already a Cuban can get a jail sentence of up to 70 years for fighting with or attacking a tourist. Even so, best to consult local Cubans on what are the safe areas and what aren't. However, with the crackdown, folks report that foreigners feel they can walk the streets again...
The level of crime in the worst places is not even comparable to US levels, though hard numbers are not easy to come by. Many Cubans are in fact supportive of the current crackdown as there is a tremendous personal fear triggered by a few murders. They have nothing to compare this to and are unaware that their murder rate is far, far less than what can be experienced in any major US city.