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I have been traveling to Costa Rica since 1982 and have been watching the spread of crime in the Country. I have been touched by it, as well as friends that live in different parts of the Country. There was a time when the main crime areas were in San Jose, Limon and in the Jaco area, but the CR crime wave is spreading from the large tourist areas. I had a chance to speak with the Police Chief in San Isidro de General Monday and he says it is indeed true, crime is increasing exponentially. He added that it has gone beyond small petty theft and is becoming organized and very sophisticated. This spells trouble for the massive building boom that is going on in the Country (looks a lot like Florida 3-5 years ago). This will certainly come to an abrupt end soon as it did in almost every part of the United States.
I too “LOVE COSTA RICA” but there are significant dark and ominous clouds on the horizon for this lovely Country.
Be careful out there, carefully watch and don’t get caught up in the real estate hype and when traveling in CR the usual precautions don’t seem to apply anymore. Travel light and safe…. My thoughts…
Every year I read these posts and get a little anxiety about my up coming trip. But every year I get down there and things are just fine…not perfect but fine. Definitely no worse (quite frankly better/safer) than on some of my travels through Italy, Greece, Germany, France etc…I have lived in NYC for the last 25 years and just like anywhere else some of it is safe and some down right scary and dangerous. I just had my car window smashed for the 2nd time this year to steal a broken down cd player and then some loose change. Sure Costa Rican crime will uptick with the development but I bet crime fighting will as well. Still sitting on my deck in Playa Hermosa/Jaco I feel pretty damn safe, if I got mugged in CR I would not write off the country no more than I bad mouth NYC just cause I’ve been ripped off here a few times…take it in stride Amiga’s and amigos..life is always beautiful but at times our little story/situation can be a bitch.
Just back this morning. I traveled from the Caribbean bus station in San Jose on foot to go to the Alajuela bus station near the hospital and noticed a much larger police presence in downtown. Pretty much on each corner were two policeman or policewomen. This was in the market area. I just had my rolling carry on bag….I tried to move pretty quickly as it was around 5 PM and getting dark.
Spent three days in Dominical with no problems except I had a cheap beach towel stolen pretty much right behind me. Don’t leave valuable alone on the beach in this area. Valuables including sneakers and sandels because they will disappear.
SJM1580,
Can you name another place on THIS planet you have visited where there has been no substantial change for the worse in this matter?
I think it is well to remember that Costa Rica is located on planet Earth. As such, it subject to the normal resulting consequences of the characteristics that our species display whenever we form civil groups larger than what used to constitute a primitive tribe. The exponential explosion of population on the planet was bound to cause some exponential changes in behavior. It does no good to moan about the changing times. Either we change the conditions or adapt to them. Period.
My limited personal experience in Costa Rica has been all positive so far.Edited on May 08, 2008 10:12
Edited on May 08, 2008 10:14
Sprite,
I have an example. Times Square in NYC. The Baltimore Waterfront area, etc… Many downtown cities were cleaned up and the crime rates have dropped significantly. Granted this may have shifted the crime to a differnt area of the city. But these are places that I have visited where there has been a significant change for the better.
Sprite,
I can tell you have limited experience in Costa Rica.
As such, try a little experiment, go rent a car San Jose, put your luggage in your car and park the car in the middle of Jaco (or Dominical or San Isidro de General or Cuidad Heredia) in broad daylight. See how long it takes for someone to steal your luggage, you might just get an education. Then go down and report the incident to the policia, you might just get another education….
Try it and then then we can talk further.
I live and was raised in a little town in Canada, and after 40 years, it did not change much…. I used to live the car doors open when I go home, the house door never locked. The milkman comes and deliver the milk right in the fridge when I am out working. Of course, when I go to the city to run errands or else, I lock the doors of the car at the commercial center….tonta pero no tanto !!!
The place I chose in Costa Rica is the same, a very little town, where everyone knows everyone, a place where I can walk to the beach to see the sunset, and stay for more than an hour leaving the doors open. No gate, no bars on my property and yes it is possible, and it is a matter of choice. Of course I am much more careful if I go to San José or Jaco or other big touristic cities…..Tambien no tanto !!!
I think it is a matter of choice. There are still some places very quiet and safe everywhere in the world. I need to drive half an hour to do the shopping or to see a doctor or to go out and have dinner in a big restaurant, but it is the same in Canada and I think our choices are about what we are, and the earth is big enough for everyone to find what they need…….my thoughts
JoSJM,
There are many places right here in the U.S. where doing what you suggest as an experiment would get the same results…or worse. I amalso aware that leaving unattended property, whether in your home or in public, invites petty theft and even grand larceny more in certain places in Costa Rica than in others.
I am not a puppy, though. I have been around for almost 6 decades and have kicked around in some big cities in the States, the Caribbean and in the U.K. I have never been assaulted or robbed while traveling. People who DO become victims of crime are usually first victims of their own lack of situational awareness. What is the purpose of the experiment? To see what happens to people who practice unwise behavior in Costa Rica? I know what happens to those people. They get ripped off and then warn everybody that Costa Rica is a crime ridden third world country. As far as I can tell, Costa Rica seems to have less petty crime than any other country south of the borderSprite,
Go ask someone about the crime problem in CR who lives there and who does not have a vested interest in letting you think that crime is not a problem. According to the police chief in San Isidro de General the crime problem is spreading, is becoming well organized and coordinated. San Isidro used to be a sleepy town, now crime is a real problem. I am not talking about comparing this to slums in the US where crime is a known problem, we are talking about relatively well to do to very upscale areas of Costa Rica, where crime is occurring on a daily basis. Go talk to him, his English is excellent and he can elaborate on the problems he sees every day.
I’m sure you are not a puppy (your vocabulary is much to sophisticated).
Well, SJM, we live in Costa Rica, we have no vested interest in obscuring the crime problem, and we feel no pressure from it. Granted, we live in a rural community away from the big cities.
Bear in mind, too, that your police chief friend has a vested interest in saying that the crime problem is worsening. The worse it gets, the more resources are devoted to it (and to him). It’s an old bureaucratic maneuver.
David,
You must be kidding, in many respects; San Isidro is not what anyone would call a “big city”. The police chief has a vested interest? Wow, what would he get in return for saying that crime is getting worse in Costa Rica, maybe an extra vintage 1960 metal desk for his run down Policia station. This a respected man in his community who was merely expressing the reality of the situation as it is in his Country. Keep your eyes open because I am positive this crime problem will ultimately find you in your isolated area.
Sprite,
It seems like you have set of a fire storm in this matter. I agree that there are concerns when it comes to feeling safe in CR. I mentioned areas where crime has decreased because you mentioned “find me a place in the world”. I didn’t know that we would get this response.In Sprite’s defense,
Why do you think that ticos families live near each other? They have homes located next to each other….very different than USA…where one tries and space ourselves out…..in most cases. They have concerns that if they leave for an extended time then the house will be broken into and everything that they own will be gone. Now in a gated community…this should not be a problem….but when you live in a rural community….from my experience with the concerns of the people that I know…..this is a concern. My mother-in-law, a 65 year old tica, will not travel when I visit because she will be worried about the safety of her home. It has taken me 12 years to understand her concern….and I thought it was just me.I too live in a rural area in Canada. Our house door is unlocked, our keys are in the car/truck in our drive way 24-7. Would I do this when travelling to larger urban centres here in Canada? – NO!
Tempt fate and you will surely be disappointed. Highly urbanized/developed areas ALWAYS have more crime.
It really is not surprising that an increase in tourist traffic leads to an increase in petty theft. There is also a corresponding increase in the percentage of inexperienced tourists who don’t realize the dangers of leaving valuables in exposed locations (vehicles, beach, etc).
Even seasoned travellers can/do occasionally get ripped off, but as Sprite said so well “People who DO become victims of crime are usually first victims of their own lack of situational awareness.”
The day I have to live in a gated community is the day I start looking for a new place to live.
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