We've had our house in Loreto for over 20 years. It was never broken into the first fifteen years. Then once over the next five years. In the last two
years we have been hit more times than I can remember to count! They used a car jack to jack out the window bars; they used a jack to spread other
window bars; they used a crowbar to smash the door jams. Now we have steel doors, an extra iron cage over the bodega's steel door, and all of our
deadlocks require a key to leave out a door. As of this week, we have a resident dog (in addition to our four dogs that travel with us.) And we have
nothing they would want to steal. Books—several thousand books. No TV, no stereo. Nada. But by the time they get in and figure that out, the damage
has been done. (Last month they did take all my husband's clothes.)
I met a man from Alaska on the plane last month who has given up and is moving. (His wife wouldn't let him lace the liquor bottles with arsenic which
was what he wanted to do.) A neighbor's car was rolled out onto the street and taken two days ago.
When something is stolen, the police require a receipt before they will take a report. They recently let off burglars in progress (called in by a
neighbor) because they knew their families. Loreto isn't the same sleepy village of the 1980s!
I'd love to consider some simple booby-traps. Electric fencing?
Any ideas?desertcpl - 3-4-2012 at 03:06 PM
No I dont have any suggestions, and if you take extreme measures you will put yourself in danger with the police
I am hearing this more and more in Baja and Mexico also
I dont think it will get any better soon. I like you have been reading here on Nomads that alot of people from Mulege have moved because of this
problem, they just got tired of itmtgoat666 - 3-4-2012 at 03:15 PM
Hard to protect vacant houses. Are your neighbors there daily? They would be best defense, let them occupy your yard and driveway when you are gone.
Do you have space to lease out room to a caretaker? Letting someone live there makes the place lived-in, less tempting to thieves.
No easy solution to protect vacant houses.
If it is neighborhood-wide problem, perhaps y'all can chip in and hire security guards.
If it's a city-wide problem, sounds like an opportunity for a good alarm company. Up here in USA, an ADT alarm system will keep them out, or at least
result in lots of noise, commotion and rapid response to break in -- sending thieves running quickly.
booby-traps will just injure someone, won't stop initiation of break in, and injuring someone will just cause you a new head acheUdo - 3-4-2012 at 03:15 PM
Since the Mulege area has been hit...
How's Posada Beach and Burro Beach?
Or in general...the areas south of Mulege?DENNIS - 3-4-2012 at 03:17 PM
shame on you... but I know its tempting vgabndo - 3-4-2012 at 04:36 PM
There are a lot of interesting humane ideas that come to mind for identifying the thugs; electronic, staining dyes, luminescent powders...but if the
Police have gone to the dark side what's the point.
They didn't have much of a reputation when I knew of them in the 90's. But, I really thought about moving to one of the colonias.Hook - 3-4-2012 at 04:42 PM
And how much does this "receipt" cost from the police in Loreto?
Are there lockable, secure storage spaces in Loreto where a number of you and your friends can deposit their valuables while you are gone? Just pool
your money, rent a single space and pack it.
Or how bout insurance?
If the police wont do anything, then alarms are useless. You'll just pee off your neighbors every time a false alarm is given.
[Edited on 3-4-2012 by Hook]Woooosh - 3-4-2012 at 04:45 PM
(His wife wouldn't let him lace the liquor bottles with arsenic which was what he wanted to do.)
IP cameras are no longer pricey. You can watch it from your home stateside and call someone once it is triggered. Just a thought.willardguy - 3-4-2012 at 05:16 PM
I'd spend a few hundred bucks on an alarm system. sure monitoring is a waste of money but with a couple 30 watt sirens yelping at ya chances are
you'll flee. and dont rely on dogs, you'll just end up with dead dogs then feel really crappy. the new honeywell wireless gear is amazing so
installation is a snap. ( I have 42 years in the industry)Hook - 3-4-2012 at 05:28 PM
So, who is expected to show up when the alarms go off? What neighbors are going to confront the perps?
[Edited on 3-5-2012 by Hook]willardguy - 3-4-2012 at 05:32 PM
its the ridiculously obnoxious loud sound and the fear that someone will show up. hey its better than poison in the hootchIslandbuilder - 3-4-2012 at 06:05 PM
We had an alarm on our place in Costa Rica, with an internal battery power supply. Local kids cut the wires, and then broke into the house thinking
that they had disabled the alarm. When the alarm went off the kids bailed out by breaking the dead bolted front door, causing the most expensive
damage. They left with only a $50 TV set, and our Costa Rican NEIGHBORS chased the kids down, got the TV back, called the cops, and secured the house.
Having good relationships with your neighbors, and a decent alarm, may make the difference.
My thought is to use no bars, leave all the curtains open so that anyone interested can see that there's nothing worth stealing inside. Closed
curtains, bars and deadbolts send the message that there are valuables worth protecting inside.willardguy - 3-4-2012 at 06:14 PM
absolutely. sometimes physical security will backfire and bite ya in the ass. years ago homes were frequently broke into by migrating fisherman only
looking for food. many found the best policy was to just leave the door unlocked and lose a little food than repair the damage. course that was
then....mulegemichael - 3-4-2012 at 06:24 PM
hey..cool it here...this thread was about a breakin in LORETO, i believe...not mulege....and we live here and yes, have experienced some
problems...but i have, for the most part, created those "problems" as a result of my lax committment to closing/locking everything...on a couple of
occasions, i just let stuff out there and made a criminal of someone......there is no overtheedge crime problem in mulege.....uhhhhhh...the stuff i'm
hearing about up north is ah, almost "criminal"..
Dogs, Dogs, Dogs
Gypsy Jan - 3-4-2012 at 06:29 PM
OK, I know I harp on this subject, but if you have well-trained dogs and I mean that they are strange-food-avoidance trained so they won't be poisoned
by meat tinged with anti-freeze and have a good caretaker while you are not there, then the thieves will seek out easier opportunities.
Rescue some mutts from the shelter, give them love and a home and build trust. They will reward you in ways you couldn't even conceive.
If you do not have fencing, you can put up electrical cattle wire to keep the dogs on the property. After a couple of shocks, the dogs will respect
the perimeter and understand the boundaries. After that you can replace the electric wire with string - the dogs won't go near it.
[Edited on 3-5-2012 by Gypsy Jan]mulegemichael - 3-4-2012 at 06:51 PM
...and ya know, no matter what ya do, "if da bad guys wants in, dey gits in"...nuthin you kin do about it.......i like lots of bars, tho.Marla Daily - 3-4-2012 at 11:32 PM
Thank you all for your thoughts and creative suggestions. Our house is on a corner and the lot is relatively large. We have two neighbors—sort of. One
adjacent neighbor up one street—a single Mexican mother— has heard our house robberies in progress, and her response was to barricade herself in her
house to be sure she was safe from them! She would never think to do anything about it. No help there. The other neighboring house is vacant and for
sale.
We have high hopes for the new yard dog... Stay tuned.rhintransit - 3-5-2012 at 07:21 AM
amid the reports of increased property crimes in Loreto I've heard of more 'dog napping' of family pets for the rewards subsequently posted. it's a
vicious circle. chose a well trained and aggressive appearing dog!
[Edited on 3-5-2012 by rhintransit]Hook - 3-5-2012 at 11:37 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by rhintransit
amid the reports of increased property crimes in Loreto I've heard of more 'dog napping' of family pets for the rewards subsequently posted. it's a
vicious circle. chose a well trained and aggressive appearing dog!
[Edited on 3-5-2012 by rhintransit]
No doubt that dog knapping goes on over in San Carlos.rhintransit - 3-5-2012 at 07:17 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Hook
Quote:
Originally posted by rhintransit
amid the reports of increased property crimes in Loreto I've heard of more 'dog napping' of family pets for the rewards subsequently posted. it's a
vicious circle. chose a well trained and aggressive appearing dog!
[Edited on 3-5-2012 by rhintransit]
No doubt that dog knapping goes on over in San Carlos.
???San Carlos??? I'm in Loreto, in case that wasn't clear.Hook - 3-6-2012 at 07:23 AM
I'm just saying that it is an epidemic near gringo communities. Seeing the way many Mexicans treat their dogs, I cant imagine them ever paying for the
return of their dogs.Marla Daily - 3-6-2012 at 07:47 AM
Yes dog-napping is happening as well. Just two weeks ago a friend in Nopolo had one of his dogs disappear from his fenced yard. She was wearing a
collar with ID tag—name and phone number. The owner immediately posted notices all over Miramar on the west side of the highway— Reward of 500 pesos
with no questions asked. The day after the dog disappeared, an elderly Mexican lady showed up at his house in Nopolo with his dog. She handed over the
dog and got the reward. (Since Nopolo is remote, another friend guessed the doggie was nabbed by the woman's son—maybe a taxi driver.)ncampion - 3-6-2012 at 07:52 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Marla Daily
We have high hopes for the new yard dog... Stay tuned.
Question? Who's going to feed, water, scoop poop etc. for the yard dog when you're gone???
.Marla Daily - 3-6-2012 at 07:58 AM
Hi Nick,
Wonderful MaryElena Romero, who has worked for us for over a dozen years watering and raking the yard 2-3 times a week, is now going work every day
and take care of our new house-dog along with her other chores.
How about an electronic dog?
bajabeachbabe - 3-6-2012 at 01:36 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by ncampion
Quote:
Originally posted by Marla Daily
We have high hopes for the new yard dog... Stay tuned.
Question? Who's going to feed, water, scoop poop etc. for the yard dog when you're gone???
.
Get one of these and you won't have to scoop the poop!.
Of course, it wouldn't work too well if you already have a live dog.vgabndo - 3-6-2012 at 02:02 PM
While true that many people living part time in Baja want a LOT more amenities than others, I had 16 years without a loss to my property in San
Nicolas partly, I think, because it wasn't a fortress. The exterior doors to the house were screened storm doors from NOB. Rip 'em off with your bare
hands! For that effort they could have plastic chairs; pots and pans.
The story of my wheelbarrow was made legend in one of
Baja Bernie's books!
Isn't there a rule? Don't invest more in Baja than you can afford to lose.mcfez - 3-6-2012 at 05:11 PM
I am not sure just how large your estate may be...
Having a caretaker quarters on the premises resolves many issues. The get a nice little place to live for free...you get security.
In San Felipe....we have a small joint. We have minimum furnishings. Zero values ....no tv....nada. There are no bars.....certainly no alarms. That
alarm goes off too often.....your own neighbors be burning the place down.
