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drmike

Dec 5, 2011, 11:28 AM

Post #1 of 8 (1056 views)

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Ridiculous crime rate in Chapala?

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What the heck is going on the the Lake Chapala area, especially in Ajijic as far as crime is concerned? I was reading the Lake Chapala Crime Reports forum which breaks down crime reported in the Lakeside area, and it seems like things are getting out of control. Has it been like that for a few years or was 2011 an especially bad year for home break-ins and ATM card hijackings, dog poisonings? It seems to be the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about as I go through the Forums.

I plan on moving down there in 2012, but if the crime is so bad, as the Lakeside Crime Report Forum states, then I may change my mind.

It seems no amount of security fixes are effective against break-ins, that if the perpetrator wants in your house,they will enter your home. They seem to know where NorteAmericanos hide their money and jewelry. As all of you know (and it was reported on the news here in Phoenix) a man was recently shot and killed during a home burglary. I'm reading many Canadians and Americans are not planning on returning to the Chapala area, which is not good for anyone. Ajijic seems to be ground zero for such activity. Are there neighborhood watch programs (besides the burglars and their lookouts), is it that the police will do nothing? What is allowing for the statistics of an apparent high crime area?

Can someone enlighten me as to the situation and is it getting worse? I saw that someone had posted, "Are Retired People Leaving Mexico?" But what about the crime situation in the Lake Chapala area? Any comments?
Dr. Mike

http://www.smarthealthchoices.blogspot.com

There are hundreds of paths up the mountain,
all leading in the same direction,
so it doesn't matter which path you take.
The only one wasting time is the one
who runs around and around the mountain,
telling everyone that his or her path is wrong.

Hindu teaching

(This post was edited by drmike on Dec 5, 2011, 12:05 PM)

chinagringo

Dec 5, 2011, 12:34 PM

Post #2 of 8 (1019 views)

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Re: [drmike] Ridiculous crime rate in Chapala?

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Your question should draw an number of theories loaded with speculation and there may even be those in denial there is any sort of problem.

While the Guadalajara and Lake Chapala areas have enjoyed a "safe or relatively safe" designation for years, there are opportunities open for the picking by those on crime's fringes or those heavily involved. Reading the postings on Lakeside Crime is a relatively new luxury and it is certainly making people more aware of at least the events being reported. What percentage of the crimes are actually reported to that site is open for speculation.

The old mantra that one shouldn't be worried unless they are directly involved in the drug world is crumbling. What you are seeing in the Lake Chapala area is really no different from any other where the economy is hurting and the drug element has made inroads. There has been a certain element of arrogance on the part of some Gringos where crime was of little concern as long as it was Mexican on Mexican. Now recent armed home invasions and the killing of a Gringo during a botched daylight robbery attempt has made many of the Ostriches pull their collective heads out of the sand.

My personal vision is that: Yes crime has ticked up a bit but I don't feel that it can be described as ridiculous at this stage. At this point, it could either escalate to such a level or it could got back in the other direction if the Mexican & Gringo population can come together and find a workable solution with all of the Governmental agencies involved.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

CanuckBob

Dec 5, 2011, 12:51 PM

Post #3 of 8 (1014 views)

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Re: [drmike] Ridiculous crime rate in Chapala?

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Not sure how much it has increased but one thing for sure is the reporting of it has increased with the Lakeside Crime site and other forums in the area. I'm sure there has always been some level of crime in the area but it many cases went unreported and unpublished (or in some cases censored). I'm sure if one went and read the police file in many jurisdictions NOB they would be amazed at how many crimes happen on a daily basis that don't make it into the news.

Bob
Inside Lakeside
http://lakechapalainfo.bigforumpro.com/

(This post was edited by CanuckBob on Dec 5, 2011, 12:52 PM)

drmike

Dec 5, 2011, 1:59 PM

Post #4 of 8 (997 views)

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Re: [CanuckBob] Ridiculous crime rate in Chapala?

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I agree with both of you that perhaps people have ignored crime if it didn't happen to them. I haven't read the past years reports of the Lakeside Crime Reporter so I can't speak for whether it has gone up or not (either through more and better reporting, or actual crime) but what I read yesterday and today has made my wife and me to re-talk this move to Lake Chapala area.

As both of you stated you may find this increase due to drugs, the fringe element, individuals or groups involvement or it may be that you can find this is in any population with the size of The Chapala area. I don't know. It seems a lot of the crime which had been reported are very young people like 16-20 of age. Maybe, like in the USA, the young people have had no parental guidance and have little morals.

Which is why I want to know what the people who live here think and what can be done about it. Perhaps better interaction between the Police and the residents will help and neighborhood watch programs may be a start. But apparently you cannot ignore it any longer. Adding more security toys doesn't seem to be doing the trick.

Thanks
Dr. Mike

http://www.smarthealthchoices.blogspot.com

There are hundreds of paths up the mountain,
all leading in the same direction,
so it doesn't matter which path you take.
The only one wasting time is the one
who runs around and around the mountain,
telling everyone that his or her path is wrong.

Hindu teaching

(This post was edited by drmike on Dec 5, 2011, 2:05 PM)

Vichil

Dec 5, 2011, 5:30 PM

Post #5 of 8 (957 views)

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Re: [drmike] Ridiculous crime rate in Chapala?

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Outside of the drug related crimes(by cartels) I do not think that there are more crimes now than before but I think that in the last couple of years we have seen more violent crimes.

We bought in 2001 and the woman who used to live in this house was probably murdered for her car although no one ever figured what happened to her. On the same street a lady told me that her housesitter had been murdered before that. He brought some women in her house and pretended that he was the owner, showed them the silver and other valuable objects, the 2 women asked him to drive them back to joco and he never came back..was found dead later on. (the house was robbed)
There was the couple who did not want to vacate the house who was murdered and more recently the man who let a couple of youths he knew in his house. so there is nothing new there.
There has always been robberies but armed home invasions have started to happen more frequently and it seems that they are more violent.
Lakeside crime has had its up and down and the person who runs it threatened to close the site several times for lack of activity. Before this site people would sometimes mentioned a robbery on a forum and every one would put them down for ruining the realestate value...
From the day we came , the gardener and the cleaning lady told me that foreigners were too trusting and were doing a lot of things they should be doing and this is why they would get robbed so there must have been problems too but we did not hear about so much.
I used to walk everywhere at night but frankly I think I was stupid and I was lucky.

I think the latest murder hit people the hardest as the couple was coming back from the groceries, unloading their car in front of their house in the middle of town,i things we all have done and felt safe doing so I think this one made people feel much more vulnerable.

Crime goes in waves. It is commited by young kids but also by seasonned criminals commuting from other areas or by some of the older gang members from the different barrios, 6th Esquinas being probably the largest and the worst. We also got some criminal type kids coming back with their family from the US, they get back here , they have no job and were criminal back in the US so they continue their carreer.
You notice when some of the local criminals get out of jail because crime increases, they get caught or move and it goes down.
We are going through a bad time now but it will get quieter eventually.

Bars , alarms and comon sense security measures work as long as you use them. Leaving doors or windows open, having unprotected skylights and so on opens you up to being the next victim.
We live next to 6th Esquinas and frankly I am not afraid of going shopping there during the day, I know some of these bad characters from wedding or family fiestas and I have never felt threatened by them. I do not go around there after dark any longer.

I do not think I would buy a house here now but I would rent and see how the situation progresses. There are predictions that the Guadalajara area is the next war zone for the cartels who knows if this will happen but I woul keep it in mind.

I still enjoy living in Mexico and have no plans to leave.

CanuckBob

Dec 5, 2011, 6:46 PM

Post #6 of 8 (929 views)

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Re: [Vichil] Ridiculous crime rate in Chapala?

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I think the war in Guadalajara is already well underway. It will be interesting to see how the Mexican Government deals with this happening in their 2nd largest city and one of their hubs of industry.

Bob
Inside Lakeside
http://lakechapalainfo.bigforumpro.com/

Brian

Dec 5, 2011, 7:12 PM

Post #7 of 8 (921 views)

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Re: [CanuckBob] Ridiculous crime rate in Chapala?

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In Reply To

Witness what has become of Monterrey.

drmike

Dec 7, 2011, 8:55 AM

Post #8 of 8 (717 views)

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Re: [Brian] Ridiculous crime rate in Chapala?

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Thank you to all who responded publicly and P.M. who had information on the situation in the Lakeside area. Thanks also to Bob who let me know of another link that had relevant material. Thanks for your help.

Mike
Dr. Mike

http://www.smarthealthchoices.blogspot.com

There are hundreds of paths up the mountain,
all leading in the same direction,
so it doesn't matter which path you take.
The only one wasting time is the one
who runs around and around the mountain,
telling everyone that his or her path is wrong.

Hindu teaching