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Looks like we have another crime story on police corruption and armed home invasions specifically targeted at the ex-pat community. Doesn’t make it sound to enticing for those of us contemplating a move to CR. Is this why there are so many gated communities? Do you actually need armed guards to protect your property? I don’t mean to start another crime is relative thread. But is the Tico Times doing anyone a favor reporting on this now?
You’re right scurrie! We are not going to start a new Discussion Forum thread for every crime story that appears in the local press but I understand it’s a concern for some people, especially if they are planning on living in the worst, crime ridden areas where very few of our VIP Members live….
Why are there so many gated communities in the US?
Why are there so many more murders in DOZENS of US cities than there are in San Jose?
Why is the murder rate in Washington DC four times higher than San Jose, Costa Rica?
Why is the crime rate in many rural areas of Costa Rica practically non existent?
Why does the United States – which has less than 5 percent of the world’s population – have almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners? More than 2,000,000 which is far more than China which has four times the population.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comI’ve seen the comparisons (previous article here) of crime per 100,000 of population in CR as compared to major cities in the USA, but has anyone shown how those numbers relate to Tourist in CR to see how the number changes. I want to know what the odds are as it relates to ME as a USA citizen living in Costa Rica so I will know whether to make the move or not.
If someone could factor in those numbers that would be something that I would be interested in finding out.Please see [ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1818.cfm ]
1. “According to the U.S. Department of State – Information on Deaths Abroad of U.S. Citizens, in the past three years from January 2005 to December 2007 the #1 non-natural cause of death for American citizens in Costa Rica was drowning.
2. The #2 cause was car accidents and during this entire three year period, only 12 US citizens were murdered and two of those Americans were murdered by other Americans
3. According to the NationMaster.com the USA has an assault rate of 7.56923 per 1,000 people. The UK at 7.45959, Canada at 7.11834 and Costa Rica? 0.178287 per 1,000 people.
4. NationMaster.com also has the US rape rate at 0.301318 per 1,000 people and Costa Rica? 0.118277 – Looking at the numbers above, as of two minutes ago, my daughter is now not allowed to visit Cleveland, Cincinnati or Minneapolis never mind live there.
5. According to the same source Costa Rica does have a higher robbery rate of 4.79109 per 1,000 people compared to the US at 1.38527 per 1,000 people, but total crimes per capita in the USA is 80.0645 per 1,000 people and in Costa Rica only 11.9788″
And [ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1813.cfm ]
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comI just arrived here yesterday. It’s been 22 years. I spent 3 hrs walking around downtown San Jose carrying a big camera around my neck. I pulled it out and started talking some great pictures after I counted 8 different policemen in the first 20 minutes. I chatted with them and they told me they rarely see anything serious happen in daylight. They told me I should put the camera away at night though. I wore tore jeans, a stained t-shirt and hiking boots. I sat on a park bench and practiced my Spanish with a lot of very nice, friendly people. It’s a lot safer than the city next to the one I live in. I’m not saying anyone should do this – it’s just I have a history of taking care of myself when necessary.
Edited on Sep 24, 2008 22:05
I just spend the last two hours in Teatro Nacional in San Jose watching the first concert of the 15th International Guitar Festival – The two Cuban guitar players were magnificent – and even though we walked around before and after the concert, we weren’t murdered, raped or robbed on the way there or on the way back… (Although a beautiful woman did smile at me when I was waiting outside…)
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comscott
just so we are clear… because you personally did not experience any problems on your mini excursion here downtown.. then all is well and there is nothing to worry about??? crime is not on the rise here… on the other hand if you were raped by a beautiful young tica.. then its a war zone here LOL
seriously… as a whole.. where in this country do you NOT see barbed wired fenced in homes.. i have traveled many parts of this country and i see some basic patterns.. usually the towns have big church, soccer fields and fenced prison like homes.. is it the same in the U.S. maybe in isolated parts.. but overall.. no way.. here people live in compounds.. hows your new compound coming along 🙂
Edited on Sep 25, 2008 03:59
Edited on Sep 25, 2008 04:01
There is nobody in my neighborhood with barbed wire or grates on windows. I wish ya’ll would stop making these sweeping statements that EVERYONE has these things because they don’t! I don’t, and my neighbors don’t, and even the Ticos don’t although there is one big house at the entrance to our road that has decorative iron work on the windows, but NO barbed wire.
hrichards – I am now in my tenth year living in Costa Rica and visit San Jose during the day and at night on a very regular basis and apart from having my car radio stolen once about six years ago, I have never personally had an experience with crime.
However, as mentioned previously perhaps maybe I am just dumb, lucky or as an ex Royal Marines Commando – a little more street smart than most. But Marines aren’t famous for their intellect so perhaps we can all learn to be more street smart?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.commaravilla
where is this ??? I wish to move there myself.. i have yet to really find areas without these prison like enclosures.. any other people care to comment on areas .. i would like to at least visit them.
scott.. like yourself I personally have not had anything happen to me.. living here also about 9 years or so..and i have various business here.. non internet.. but I also have never been in a car accident. does this mean that i deny the fact that costa rica is also increasing in car accidents?? or maybe its just in my imagination lol
and maybe its also just my imagination that crime is indeed on the increase here.. which is the topic.
you know.. people for some strange reason and i see it more here in the tico culture.. that if something does not specifically happen to them.. then it does not seem to be a problem… and only when they experience something first hand then all of a sudden its a problem.
all this does is prolong a situation that could have been possibly been solved earlier if there had been more awareness.
harlon
ps. we really should be talking about more important stuff.. like if a United States Army Ranger can kick the a** of a royal marines commando LOL 🙂 relax maravilla.. I was only kidding..
So this is good news hrichards – No doubt this is the kind of thing the English language news organizations completely ignore because just in this small thread we have a group of people – men and women – who have lived here for years and who have had no problem with crime in Costa Rica.
But there will always be people who perceive the problem to be more threatening that it is… Kind of like the ‘war on terror.’
In the US for example, even if terrorists were able to pull off one attack per year on the scale of the 9/11 atrocity, that would mean your one-year risk would be one in 100,000 and your lifetime risk would be about one in 1300. In other words, your risk of dying in a plausible terrorist attack is much lower than your risk of dying in a car accident, by walking across the street, by drowning, in a fire, by falling, or by being murdered. [ http://www.reason.com/news/show/36765.html ]
I have no doubt that crime is on the increase here and in many other places and, hope that we can make arrangements to correct that situation – locking up repeat offenders instead of letting them go – would be a very good start.
In the meantime, I will continue to keep my eyes open and enjoy living in Costa Rica and very much look forward to moving into my new apartment in that hotbed of crime – San Jose in late October/early November.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comPS. I have not had a major car accident here either and still drive the same car….
scott
your right on brotha…. there are always people that magnify things more than they are. and you have a small %% of people like you and I that can see things the way they are and make choices to act accordingly.
for the moment I love costa rica… i love the weather… the women… low taxes etc.. and if and when the times comes that I fall out of love.. then i will pick up and move to another location. maybe.. panama.. or even guatemala..
Panama doesn’t excite me but I do love Antigua in Guatemala (my lady is from Guatemala).
The crime in Guatemala is on a whole different MUCH MORE DANGEROUS level there, every time I have been there one of the topics of conversation at the dinner table is kidnapping and the car parks of restaurants in the city are filled with armed bodyguards waiting for their bosses to finish… But Antigua is delightful …
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comI had included a link to the article “Private Help for a Public Woe” in yesterdays Tico Times and I see that has been removed from my post. If this is in violation of the rules of the forum I apologise. I was hoping to have some feedback in regards to the topic of the article in question. Crime itself and Costa Rica’s ranking in the global community does not give me any cause for concern.
I live in a North American city where rapid growth and financial opportunities have contributed greatly to the rise in crime.Stabbings, shootings and gang warfare are now considered common place in a community where 30 years ago we used to leave our doors unlocked. It seems that every day there is another victim in the hospital or the morgue. Only last week we had a student from Brazil become the latest victim of an errant bullet that resulted in the loss of both his eyes. My God! In broad daylight and in the center of downtown. This happened to a visitor who, some would say was visiting from a country where this would be more likely to happen. Dream on. Crime and violence are an inherent human condition. The haves and have nots will always be in conflict.
What I would like to know is are there really any locally hired vigilante patrols actively working out there and are they as prevalent as this article would have you believe. Although it sounds like they have not had a high degree of success. Or conversely the ones that did have success could not be sustained. As alluded to in the article once the crime rate dropped no one saw the need to finance the service.
I found this quotation interesting “(The police) weren’t doing their (expletive) jobs,” he said. “The cops have always been crooked there. This is the kingdom of corruption.” Doesn’t sound good for Puerto Viejo.
Cheers
scurrieHrichards, I can tell you that here, outside Grecia, we have no sense of there being a serious crime problem. Likewise, other outlying towns (Sarchi, Naranjo, San Ramon, Zarcero, to name a few) seem to be reasonably safe. That’s not to suggest that none of our neighbors have iron barriers, but the question is whether or not they actually need them. Frankly, it seems to be a cultural thing as much as anything else.
I find it interesting that in most areas I visit there will be homes with iron fences, bars on the doors and windows, etc. right next to homes with none of these. If the local crime problem dictates all this security for the family to the north, how can the family on the south survive? (Hint: Neither of them is in any immediate jeopardy. The barricades have nothing to do with it.)
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