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Marla Daily
Nomad
Posts: 418
Registered: 9-2-2003
Location: Loreto, BCS
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Burglar-proofing suggestions?
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?
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desertcpl
Super Nomad
Posts: 2396
Registered: 10-26-2008
Location: yuma,az
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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 it
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18385
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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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 ache
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6346
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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Since the Mulege area has been hit...
How's Posada Beach and Burro Beach?
Or in general...the areas south of Mulege?
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/US_...
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desertcpl
Super Nomad
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Location: yuma,az
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Dennis
shame on you... but I know its tempting 
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vgabndo
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
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Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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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.
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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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]
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Woooosh
Banned
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(His wife wouldn't let him lace the liquor bottles with arsenic which was what he wanted to do.)
hmmm. I like the concept. Maybe ipecac instead of arsenic though. They'll be sure they are going to die, then won't. http://www.poison.org/prepared/ipecac.asp
IP cameras are no longer pricey. You can watch it from your home stateside and call someone once it is triggered. Just a thought.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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willardguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6451
Registered: 9-19-2009
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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)
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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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]
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willardguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6451
Registered: 9-19-2009
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its the ridiculously obnoxious loud sound and the fear that someone will show up. hey its better than poison in the hootch
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Islandbuilder
Senior Nomad
Posts: 555
Registered: 11-9-2011
Location: nob
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Mood: bewildered
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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.
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willardguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6451
Registered: 9-19-2009
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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....
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mulegemichael
Super Nomad
Posts: 2310
Registered: 12-24-2007
Location: sequim,wa. and mulege
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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"..
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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Gypsy Jan
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 1-27-2004
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Dogs, Dogs, Dogs
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]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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mulegemichael
Super Nomad
Posts: 2310
Registered: 12-24-2007
Location: sequim,wa. and mulege
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Mood: up on step
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...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.
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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Marla Daily
Nomad
Posts: 418
Registered: 9-2-2003
Location: Loreto, BCS
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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.
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rhintransit
Super Nomad
Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
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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]
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Mood: Inquisitive
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| 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.
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