Jump to content
Chapala.com Webboard

Recommended Posts

Please would you share information about your home security in Mexico.  Your advice and personal

experience would help those of us unfamiliar with 'the need for and the value of methods/equipment

chosen/and other services relevant to keeping one's home safe while occupied and during any

absences"

Thanks.😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are a few thoughts:

Think in layers of protection. With me, that includes an outer wall heavily covered in thorny bougainvillea, iron bars on the doors and windows (these were put on by the first owner about 20 years ago, which implies to me that crime is not just a recent problem), 2 medium size dogs that bark like giants, and a safe concealed in a closet (good luck trying to remove and carry THAT!).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of weak places.

1. You may have a strong front or back door with a strong lock.  But the door jam, when the lock goes in, may not be that strong.  Some times an intruder will kick the door in which most of the time damage the door jam.

2.  Sliding glass door not only the glass can be broken, the door can be either pried open or lifted out it's track.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A safe draws attention.  Instead find a spot that looks like any other and only you would guess where it would be once it is covered up.

I have bars and my doors are well secured with 3 locks on each.  The one on the top floor has a 2x4 across it.  The dogs are a must.  Motion sensor lights which cannot be reached.

Windows and doors with bars across doesn’t mean it’s a high crime area, it’s just tradition.  Everyone builds that way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I hate to dissappoint Oregontochapala but I was not conecerned until it happened.  I had company visiting and we were gone from about 9:30am-2:30pm on a Wednesday back in February.  My house has a wall around it with sort of an open front with bars.  Well, they came and pried off the lock to the gate, the lock was in pieces.  I live in a small 2b/2b house.  They took my friends suitcase, both of our Ipads, and all my jewelry.  Mind you most of my jewelry had sentimental value not dollar value.  They pulled most things out of my closet, found my little safe, pried it open, only to find papers.  I didn’t have much for them to steal.  I think they look for ease of access first.  I am sure they were in and out in ten minutes.

I now have solid metal accross the front of the house, a doorbell with a camera that will alert me if soemone rings the bell or not and I have two locks on the gate.  I always had an electric fence around the top of the wall.  Yes, they can still get in but I think they will hit an easier target first.

Yes, and my 2 dogs were barking like crazy until they got in.  I am sure they threw them some food and the dogs took off but were waiting for me when I got home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am getting the feeling that the only difference between our kids, who we called stupid and us old farts, is that we are stubborn.......I am sometimes totally  confused by the amount of "protection" we have to take in order to stay "safely" in "paradise"...... if we were any place in the USA or Canada we would move to a "safer" area or stay in the ghetto....and the people who pontificate about what...... and what not do drives me crazy...a pig is a pig and not a silk purse...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, lakeside7 said:

I am getting the feeling that the only difference between our kids, who we called stupid and us old farts, is that we are stubborn.......I am sometimes totally  confused by the amount of "protection" we have to take in order to stay "safely" in "paradise"...... if we were any place in the USA or Canada we would move to a "safer" area or stay in the ghetto....and the people who pontificate about what...... and what not do drives me crazy...a pig is a pig and not a silk purse...

You are making two erroneous assumptions. Some of us do not feel unsafe here. We take the normal precautions we did NOB, not one thing different. We feel just as safe as we did NOB — and, in some cases, more so. We never considered this “paradise” and still don’t. It is a lovely, lively place to live. We are having fun, a lot more fun than we would be having NOB. So, when you speak, please remember that you are speaking only for yourself and those sad people who think like you do. Sorry about that pig you’re stuck with but we are loving our purses. They may not be silk, but they are a beautiful, durable fabric that brings us pleasure every single day. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Apachewoman said:

 Your advice and personal experience would help those of us unfamiliar with 'the need for and the value of methods/equipment chosen and other services relevant to keeping one's home safe while occupied and during any absences

Thanks.😉

I think the OP is looking more for the how than the why.

Unless technology of security cameras has changed a lot over the last few years or you want to spend a lot of money, I am sure security cameras will help to prosecute anyone. Unless they are standing around your property first or look right into the camera, most of the time they are moving too fast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Xena said:

We take the normal precautions we did NOB, not one thing different. We feel just as safe as we did NOB — and, in some cases, more so. We never considered this “paradise” and still don’t. It is a lovely, lively place to live. We are having fun, a lot more fun than we would be having NOB. So, when you speak, please remember that you are speaking only for yourself and those sad people who think like you do. Sorry about that pig you’re stuck with but we are loving our purses. They may not be silk, but they are a beautiful, durable fabric that brings us pleasure every single day. 

Actually, most here at Lakeside never had anything near what we have here in "protection", for our homes NOB. Sure, with all the "protection" we have installed here, most feel that their home/belongings are generally safe. (Since we don't have insurance in case of theft here). I'm sure there are some that do have more fun here than NOB, but I can tell you as one who spends about 1/2 time NOB, to enjoy the weather there, we have as much or more fun when there., So when I speak, I am referring to myself and my better half, and those intelligent people who see things as I have described them. Do we enjoy Lakeside?  We have not cut all ties NOB, nor are we forced to stay here for other reasons. We would not continue to return if we did not enjoy our time here. We do admit that we have been staying longer and longer NOB each trip, Still come back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cameras usually only work if there's electricity. Same with most other electronic means of security. I have iron windows and doors with iron grillwork and double deadbolts. Do they work? Well, considering that my lock malfunctioned and the only way I could get out of my house was to have a guy with a very noisy cutter come and CUT the door jamb to get me out. Yeah, they work. Not only was the cutter unbelievably noisy but it took over a half an hour to cut through it. No thief wants to attract that kind of attention.

I would not, under any circumstance, have sliding glass doors. They are too easily and too quietly jacked. French doors in iron with grill work? Yes. Especially the kind that have floor and ceiling bolts to secure the centre point and double dead bolt at the locking mechanism.

No keys to ANYONE EVER. And speaking of locking mechanisms and keys... you want the kind where you need a key to get in AND get out. You do not leave the key anywhere near the door so, even if someone breaks a small pane of glass, they can't reach in and let themselves in.

For the record, the only place I have ever been robbed was in Toronto. Once was enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 I agree with jaybear but would add a security system with motion detectors in the house that when  activated set off a very loud siren outside the house. The siren has to be located somewhere where it can't be disarmed. No intruder will hang around once the siren goes off.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Ditto to Ferret's recommendations, especially about "no keys to anyone...EVER." Case in point: a prosperous couple we knew had a large property with many "goodies"and fine jewelry.  They had a maid who had been with them for several years and who had been given the key to their home. The maid's sweet little boy grew to be a teen aged gang member.  Guess what happened?  When the police arrested the boy, his mama cried and said he couldn't have done it: he was an "angel".  Meanwhile,  the goodies were gone.

Dogs? Fine, if you want a couple of pets.  Unless they are highly trained guard dogs, they are of little use. Don't fool yourself because they bark their heads off at strangers.

Many people balk at the notion of barred windows when they first move here.  Get used to them.  When properly installed, they WORK.  If you want to spend the pesos, some fancy versions are very good looking and there are plenty of local iron workers who can do he job.

As for safety, relative to the U.S....it depends entirely on where you lived.  In our former life, we spent several years in a somewhat upscale suburb in Orange county, CA. Everyone who didn't have a complete security system with a company which dispatched guards promptly upon alarm, got robbed...day or night.  There were very sophisticated thieves in the area.  So....it depends.

Is this Paradise? Of course not. It doesn't need to be; it's good enough, and your satisfaction level is primarily about what you make of your life here.  I really don't "get it" when people disparage it in comparison to their beloved place in the U.S.  Why don't they just go "home" and be happier? Life is too short to waste.😉

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have most of that has been mention above plus, solar motion detection lights also what Amazon calls flag pole lights (solar) which comes on at sundown and  stays on most all night mounted of roof and pointed to strategic places.  

Having taken a canceled weapons class I own a few fire arms should a bad guy is able to get by my other protection.

Now the last thing I will do is not harm anyone unless I fear for my life. I will not harm anyone for taking my TV I can buy another one.  Jewelry I don't need any.

I forgot to mention if they go for my wine collection.....well God help them.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Al Berca said:

Make sure you are friendly and helpful to all of your neighbors, especially Mexicans. The rewards will be endless.

Absolutely!!!!!!! That cannot be emphasized enough. It will require that you learn enough Spanish to chat, and become acquainted with your neighbors. They will be likely to invite you to their parties, often held in the street, and you should attend & take food and a bottle to share.  We lived on a normal street, in a normal neighborhood in both Ajijic and Chapala, without bars, but with dogs and walls, and nice neighbors.  We shared greetings, knew their kids, shopped in the neighborhood tiendas, etc.  Never had a problem there. However, we did lose a wheel from our vehicle once; right in front of the LCS gate!  Yes, our maid and gardener were trusted with keys, and looked after our home, pets and plants, when we vacationed elsewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have lived here 18 years .. our cleaning lady has been with us from the beginning and she has a key. The old gardner had keys as well. The new gardner is a friend from friends from Oaxaca and he has a key has well.. They watch our house and come if we have a problem

. When there were problems on the street with robberies about 5 or 6 years ago, we put in an alarm that is more like a perimeter alarm, nothing on the doors.. and windows when we open and the dogs do not set it.off.. The alarm is on at night but not during the day.It is an old house and it has bars and a high wall which I love as they remind me of my childhood, I would not live n a house without bars but has nothing to do with security for me.  In CHiapas we do not have bars but heavy wooden shutters that lock from the inside.

Your neighbors are your real protection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree on the neighbors issue. Various people have keys to the 2 exterior gates and bodega. No one has a key to the house, including the maid. If we are away, the house doesn't get cleaned, just the outside kitchen and cabana. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Ferret said:

I would not, under any circumstance, have sliding glass doors. They are too easily and too quietly jacked.

If you do happen to have sliding glass in your house, I have used similar products before to make it a little more secure.

Anti-lift bumpers.

41cxoZLqlzL._AC_SY400_.jpg.9cbe4e0e53b8feef5534f6e008e23db9.jpg

https://www.amazon.com.mx/CRL-Anti-Lift-Patio-Door-Bumpers/dp/B00QL5L0IE/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=sliding+door+security+lift+plate&qid=1549817733&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Security Bar

853040172_71l7TmDgL._AC_SL1500_.thumb.jpg.5840536d17236e1c9adc22bb7f0b0de5.jpg

https://www.amazon.com.mx/Securityman-Adjustable-Jammer-Sliding-Security/dp/B07H15GP7R/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=sliding+door+security+bar&qid=1549816733&s=gateway&sr=8-6

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the most common security mistake people make here is buying what seems like a bargain system from somewhere like Cosco or Home Depot, only to find they don't have the networking skills, or 40 foot tall ladders to install a proper system. There is a young man, Eric, who recently graduated from the Technical College in computer networking. He really knows his stuff, and a hometown boy who knows all the reputable contractors. For a consultation and walkthrough 331 016 7480 cell. Real nice person, from a real nice family.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...