[AlanMexicali]

There has been 7 houses close to my house in Mexicali since Sept. that have been burglarized, starting with my house. My neighbors had a meeting at my next door neighbors house and I was invited. It appears there is a rooftop cat burglar working from his aunt's house 3 doors down from mine on the street behind my yard. Two of my neighbors, the one behind me and one of them beside me have installed barb wire and razor wire on my 10ft. high block walls and the one on the right has a floodlight shining on my carport and has taken down the top row of the lamana [3ft] I had for many years screwed to the part of my steel fence which is half way down between mine and his lot in my carport to my 10 high block wall so his 2 yard dogs could see into my yard.

One neighbor saw a young guy on the roofs crossing from house to house. Another saw a young guy jump off this roof and chased him down the middle of the street with a metal pipe, but he was too fast to catch. Both recognize him as the nephew of a retired lady living 2 doors down from the guy's whose roof he was on and he went to talk to the aunt. She was insulted and kicked him out of her yard.

I said why not go to the police. All burglarized said the called them, but have no hope unless this guy is caught doing something again.

 

[pappabee]

I'm afraid that the same attitude is common in the States also. Some years back some friends of mine had their house robbed and the police said the same thing. They didn't have the manpower to investigate it even though everyone knew who did it. (a neighborhood kid had been seen leaving the house at AM). So the homeowner decided to open a few windows and sit in his living room with a shotgun and wait. (the gun was loaded with salt--hurts but not deadly) When he told the police what he was doing he was told to be sure the kid was inside the room before he shot him. Three nights later the kid came back and was caught. Shot in the butt with salt and unable to run.

FYI-this was in Cleveland Ohio and not a small town. The homeowner was charged with discharging a fire arm within the city limits and fined $10 and put on probation for 2 years but the robberies stopped.

Life ain't much different wherever you are.

 

[mickisue1]

I'm afraid that the same attitude is common in the States also. Some years back some friends of mine had their house robbed and the police said the same thing. They didn't have the manpower to investigate it even though everyone knew who did it. (a neighborhood kid had been seen leaving the house at AM). So the homeowner decided to open a few windows and sit in his living room with a shotgun and wait. (the gun was loaded with salt--hurts but not deadly) When he told the police what he was doing he was told to be sure the kid was inside the room before he shot him. Three nights later the kid came back and was caught. Shot in the butt with salt and unable to run.

FYI-this was in Cleveland Ohio and not a small town. The homeowner was charged with discharging a fire arm within the city limits and fined $10 and put on probation for 2 years but the robberies stopped.

Life ain't much different wherever you are.

+1

With the advances in technology, if you have a computer or iPhone lost or stolen, you can activate a program that will tell you exactly where it is.

A local person wrote an article about how he tracked his MacBook to a home in the Twin Cities, and from there, to a university on a different continent.

When he called the police to tell them, "My computer was stolen. It's at 1234 Thief Ave," they told him they didn't have the time to go get it.

 

[AlanMexicali]

Stopped break ins

I'm afraid that the same attitude is common in the States also. Some years back some friends of mine had their house robbed and the police said the same thing. They didn't have the manpower to investigate it even though everyone knew who did it. (a neighborhood kid had been seen leaving the house at AM). So the homeowner decided to open a few windows and sit in his living room with a shotgun and wait. (the gun was loaded with salt--hurts but not deadly) When he told the police what he was doing he was told to be sure the kid was inside the room before he shot him. Three nights later the kid came back and was caught. Shot in the butt with salt and unable to run.

FYI-this was in Cleveland Ohio and not a small town. The homeowner was charged with discharging a fire arm within the city limits and fined $10 and put on probation for 2 years but the robberies stopped.

Life ain't much different wherever you are.

At the meeting the woman across the street from me said this young guy was probably working out of my back covered patio and watching them. She lives right across the street and the central alarm siren under her eves was cut and she lost her laptop, flat-screen, jewelry, and other things. I lost 4 nice patio chairs and my next door neighbor lost 2 full tool boxes that his son had in their garage. The others lost similar items. My central alarm went off when one of the back doors was pried open. The police came in 5 minutes and the alarm security a minute before. At that time my car was parked for a couple months in my carport when I was down south. If this was some people I might think some tough guys would be sent to pay the young guy a visit.

 

[AlanMexicali]

Police

+1

With the advances in technology, if you have a computer or iPhone lost or stolen, you can activate a program that will tell you exactly where it is.

A local person wrote an article about how he tracked his MacBook to a home in the Twin Cities, and from there, to a university on a different continent.

When he called the police to tell them, "My computer was stolen. It's at 1234 Thief Ave," they told him they didn't have the time to go get it.

I would think in the US a search warrant would be needed and that would be the answer I would expect from the police, not we don't have time, but we don't have time or reason enough to get a judge to sign a search warrant with what you have told us. I don't usually believe everything I read if it doesn't sound logical.

 

[PieGrande]

That is why the bars and other 'protection' on all the doors and windows.

 

[Uecker_seats]

Even though I don't normally advocate the use of fire arms, but if I was in your situation I would probably invest in a large dog and a small caliber handgun, like a .22. Little more menacing then chasing Speedy Gonzales with a pipe down the alley........

 

[TundraGreen]

... a small caliber handgun, like a .22. ...

Probably, hopefully, you were kidding. Not really good advice in Mexico.

 

[FHBOY]

Even though I don't normally advocate the use of fire arms, but if I was in your situation I would probably invest in a large dog and a small caliber handgun, like a .22. Little more menacing then chasing Speedy Gonzales with a pipe down the alley........

In Ajijic last year a man did try to resist a criminal - I doubt his widow would agree with you.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We are staying in a beautiful house in town on a privada, yet the front gate, solid steel, has a dead bolt, there is yet another locked door between the front gate and the house. The doors all have locks on them, the terrace entrance to second floor has a locked door and there is wire on the perimeter. To a NOBer this sounds absolutely horrible...it would have to me. But the house is a beautiful place and the idea of security only adds to the wonderfulness of it all.

You need to live where you live, if Canadian unlocked doors are your norm, a place like this would seem a prison, but I must tell you, it sure as heck isn't. It is an oasis, and perfectly OK with us.

 

[Guest]

For all those now in MX still firmly attached to "stuff", why has no one yet suggested "seguros de hogar"?

All this talk of shooting someone, or expecting low paid, poorly educated police to solve the case when their priorities seem to be getting a good gordita at the best price every morning, laying traps, spending thousands on preventative measures such as cameras, razor wire etc - all to protect "stuff"...

just buy the darn insurance and lighten up. Take pictures of all of your goodies, record the serial numbers, sock away your purchase receipts, and use common sense in securing your home. Ask your banker if you don't know how to find it.

 

[makaloco]

For all those now in MX still firmly attached to "stuff", why has no one yet suggested "seguros de hogar"?

It's not just about "stuff". Someone tried to break into my house a couple of years ago when I was out, and after the police had come and gone, a neighbor stopped over to check out the damage. He looked around and said, "But you don't have anything!" Pretty true in petty burglary terms, unless they somehow managed to toss the fridge or washing machine over my three-meter walls. Repairs cost 300 pesos. The real damage was psychological: As a geezerette living alone, I felt angry and creeped out over the invasion of my privacy, and a little paranoid that they might come back to finish the job. Insurance doesn't help with that.

I ended up installing an alarm system and can't help wondering why more people don't go for that solution. Mine is simple and cost 5,000-some pesos plus a reasonable ongoing monitoring fee. The siren would wake the dead, and the police actually respond because the security company screens for false alarms. This takes just a minute or so (I know the drill, because my dog set it off several times before we got the sensors adjusted properly). For all I know, the "Protected by …" sign is as much of a deterrent as the system itself, but I do feel my place is more secure when I go away, and I don't have to panic whenever a cat activates my "dog alarm" at night.

 

[RVGRINGO]

For all those now in MX still firmly attached to "stuff", why has no one yet suggested "seguros de hogar"?

All this talk of shooting someone, or expecting low paid, poorly educated police to solve the case when their priorities seem to be getting a good gordita at the best price every morning, laying traps, spending thousands on preventative measures such as cameras, razor wire etc - all to protect "stuff"...

just buy the darn insurance and lighten up. Take pictures of all of your goodies, record the serial numbers, sock away your purchase receipts, and use common sense in securing your home. Ask your banker if you don't know how to find it.

Pictures of stolen 'stuff' don't work well here. You would need several witnesses to swear that you did own the item, and they would have to be able to identify it. The best 'proof' is to have the original receipts for everything....... True!
Also: Police don't solve crimes in Mexico; nor do they investigate them. That falls to another agency, the Ministerio Publico, to which you must make formal reports, in Spanish, with witnesses; then, wait ...........

Lots of things are different here.

 

[kcowan]

Yes we found that when we bought our property insurance. Good luck with making a claim if you don't have evidence of a break-in. First get the perimeter nailed down, then check for invasion from above. Once everything is in place, then proceed with what RVGringo says...

 

[conklinwh]

We were just broken into. Climbed the wall/barbed wire, got past the dogs, broke the padlock on the metal grate and jimmied the deadbolt. At least they were neat and took very small stuff like my iPad and money as they had to walk quite a ways up the arroyo to be out of sight. They also left the broken padlock and jimmie markings on the door so insurance should be happy. Just returned with my copy of the report from Municipio Publico.

 

[AlanMexicali]

Your B&E

We were just broken into. Climbed the wall/barbed wire, got past the dogs, broke the padlock on the metal grate and jimmied the deadbolt. At least they were neat and took very small stuff like my iPad and money as they had to walk quite a ways up the arroyo to be out of sight. They also left the broken padlock and jimmie markings on the door so insurance should be happy. Just returned with my copy of the report from Municipio Publico.

I am very sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident. Where you away from your home for a long time? I keep my extra pesos on my person in another pocket and if I need to pay for something it is in a different front pocket and a little American money in my wallet. Yes I have washed money sometimes when doing laundry, but also have found money from last winter inside an inside jacket pocket and did a little jig dance.

 

[DNP]

We were just broken into. Climbed the wall/barbed wire, got past the dogs, broke the padlock on the metal grate and jimmied the deadbolt. At least they were neat and took very small stuff like my iPad and money as they had to walk quite a ways up the arroyo to be out of sight. They also left the broken padlock and jimmie markings on the door so insurance should be happy. Just returned with my copy of the report from Municipio Publico.

So sorry to hear that. Hope you're not too shaken.

Sent from my iPod touch using ExpatForum

 

[Uecker_seats]

Probably, hopefully, you were kidding. Not really good advice in Mexico.

The OP stated that the intruder was young and fast. Back "in the day", we used to refer to that as "punk kids". I very much doubt a individual like this might likely have a butterfly knife on him (at best). A knife you can get away from someone, it's not like the movies though, you will more then likely get stuck.

 

[PieGrande]

Even though I don't normally advocate the use of fire arms, but if I was in your situation I would probably invest in a large dog and a small caliber handgun, like a .22. Little more menacing then chasing Speedy Gonzales with a pipe down the alley........

The reason the moderator assumed you were kidding is that .22 in the hands of a foreigner may well get you five years in prison and then deported if you survive the five years in prison, even if you do not actually shoot a Mexican. In the US, it would be different.

 

[AlanMexicali]

The only thing now is my back yard and the 20 feet from the street to my house in my front yard on top of my block walls with the barbed wire and coils of razor wire are unbecoming to me and an eyesore. Sitting on my back patio I feel like I am in a prison yard.



The steel wrought iron style front fence in Mexicali makes for a good view of the street and makes sitting outside or looking out the window more enjoyable. Very few neighbors enclosed the front of their homes. Most places use wrought iron style steel fences on the border, even the public schools and buildings so you can see the openness not the same as central Mexico where enclosed compounds are more the norm.

 

[FHBOY]

The reason the moderator assumed you were kidding is that .22 in the hands of a foreigner may well get you five years in prison and then deported if you survive the five years in prison, even if you do not actually shoot a Mexican. In the US, it would be different.

WOW! Holy $^#! You know, I sort of like that...yeah the criminals have guns...bad thing that...but at least you won't find kids going into schools and shooting them up because of stray handguns.