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I am concerned about Costa Rica the country I have come to love after 8 years. It is crime. When we first started coming down, petty theft was every where and we pacified ourselves saying that, coming from a place in the US where no one locks their doors, we were simply naive.
But it has become very personal over the past 2 years or so. During the summer that I stayed there and after many years of getting to know locals, I realized that the nature of the crime is becoming much more sinister.
Personally, I have been a victim of organized crime in CR when they stole my computer, camera etc. We have friends who’s friend has had everything stolen from him after he was “given” a flat tire on the way out of town. They stole everything from him, not just his belongings in his car but before he could stop it, all of his bank account (read connections at the bank). He now has nothing. I have had two friends left for dead in Costa rica. One who got in a car/motorcycle accident and the person who hit him, left him in the ditch.
And recently, when a friend was confronted with a burglary, he was beaten until left for dead. This man has lived in Costa Rica for 20 years, was the most peaceful, honest, pacifist, naturalist, hippy type you would ever encounter. It breaks my heart, not just for the pain he will endure for the rest of his life from his physical injuries but the loss of something undefinable when the magnitude of this violence descends on a community, both Tico and Gringo.
On my last trip there with my family, someone slit our tires at the stop lights by the airport in San Jose. Luckily, we were aware and turned right around and got a new tire before we were out on the road where we would have been robbed with my 7 year old in the car. He has been going to Costa Rica since in Diapers and it is hard to explain away the tire incident and the incident when our computer was stolen and with it all of our pictures of his 1st grade baseball experience, his first day on the bus etc.
As he says, lets go to mexico instead mom, there are no bad guys there. (ok, we just don’t go there as much). AS I think about this, there are even more incidents. During my summer there, alone with my then 6 year old there was also the incident when armed gunmen stormed a hotel sending the tourists there into the jungle for the night. They did not even bother to get their bags back before they fled the country. Or how about the rash of burglaries of rental properties. They were taking everything including the appliances and tiles. When the police were called they stated they needed to ride with us as they did not have the money for the gas for their cars. Oh and they said, don’t leave your motorcycle in front of the police station. It might get stolen while we are gone.
The gringo parties I have attended, some of them fund raisers which drew hundreds of party guests… the conversation seemed to focus on how they are getting ripped off lately…. how do they stay one step ahead of the criminals? And just now, more dear friends have had their home invaded and lost all of their electronic equipment while they went out to dinner (obviously they were being watched).
I could go on about stories I hear of friends of friends but thought I should only mention those that were closer. I am tired of the lame excuse… well go to New York and see what happens there… or crime is worse in the US…. Personally, I have lived in urban areas and rural areas and honestly when I ask myself if I know of ANYONE personally that has been affected by any kind of crime, petty or violent in THE LAST 10 YEARS! My answer is no. I know a much fewer number of people in Costa Rica but ALL of them have been affected by crime! The government of Costa Rica has got to realize that this is getting out of control. It WILL hit them in the pocket book! And until we as land owners, investors and lovers of our “dream” of costa rica, wake up and acknowledge the problem instead of protecting our personal investments because we are afraid of the financial and personal consequences acknowledging it will create, it will only get worse until it all IMPLODES!
The message will get out soon to the tourism industry, the baby boomers and the investors. We need to act and organize some protection somehow. Oh, by the way, the friend I have who got beaten to within an inch of life…. the guy is already out of jail… while my friend will spend months in physical rehab and the rest of his life paying hospital bills. By the way, this was not Gringo on Gringo crime as many will argue but Tico on Gringo. I was going there with my son for the summer but am reconsidering. I love this country but…. I am becoming afraid.
The event to which you refer is, beyond any point of discussion, tragic. Of course it should never happen in Costa Rica or anywhere else, and of course the victim’s life will be forever changed — and not for the better.
On the broader front, however, I think what is noteworthy is not that the attack occurred at all but rather that it has received the public attention that it has. In other parts of the world, a crime like this would garner virtually no public attention whatsoever. As one big city police officer replied indifferently, “Well, did the guy die?” In Costa Rica, these crimes make front page headlines for the mere fact that they do occur, albeit relatively infrequently. And, by the way, one crime does not constitute a “wave”.
In my years as a vocational rehabilitation counselor and as an Emergency Medical Technician working on an ambulance, I saw enough inflicted trauma to be able to assure you that it takes place everywhere. It just doesn’t get much public attention until someone is killed, if then.
koty, you have every right to be concerned for your own safety here, as you do in your home environs. If you find a place that’s free of violent crime, will you share it with the rest of us?
Yes, i think I said in my letter that where I live now WE do not lock our doors, there is no threat of violent crime., Contractors come and go without anyone stealing from us…. the concern is that things in CR have become more than petty theft, more organized, “sinister”. In the US now, we subscribe to the fact that most violence occurs when someone is in the wrong area, they know the drug dealers, somehow they are related to the crime. What I see in CR is the scary notion , that because you are a gringo you are targeted. ACtually, I do not think many crimes in the CR garner the public attention that they should. That is the point of my letter. This crime was personally related to me. If I tried to look it up, it would non-existant. Everyone is afraid in CR to acknowledge the problem because one report in the common media would make real estate, tourism go in the tank. THAT is the problem.
Just prior to this horrible incident, a member on a different forum and who had only recently moved there, had been telling us that crime had risen dramatically and very rapidly, due to the new roads giving better access to these [i]thugs[/i] and that increased security measures were being taken by local police and residents.
At the same time, a Canadian member and his wife had just been robbed at gunpoint in Jaco. He was very upset because he had been denied the opportunity to purchase a gun to protect his family, because he is not yet a Permanent Resident of Costa Rica due to the change in rules.
We live [i]very near[/i] to the kidnapping of a local farmer that happened last week.
[i]Everyone[/i], you need to watch out….don’t take your security for granted.first of all, the perp is still in jail. A.M. costa rica mistakenly reported that Jason had been let out. of course, this incident is beyond horrendous. and there is no justification or defense for it, but i’m just curious as to why Ben Vaughan, who has lived here for 20 years, didn’t have (at least) CAJA insurance, which is now required of all legal residents. crime is a horrible thing; i was robbed 18 months ago, but they didn’t get very much, and i wasn’t there when it happened so i wasn’t ever in harm’s way. ramping up the paranoia on crime isn’t going to accomplish anything. and don’t think about going to mexico; the crime is worse there, AND they just kill you if you don’t have what they want, and even if you do. countries with high levels of poverty are breeding grounds for criminals — the locals watch the rich gringos move in with all those toys and gadgets and they want that too, but will never ever be able to afford it, and their thinking is that if you could afford to buy it the first time, you can also afford to replace it. this is simply a reality living in Latin America, some places worse than others. i wish Ben the strength to make it through this incident. no doubt his life will change forever, but he seems to have a whole community rallying for him. he’s lucky in that regard.
I have been reading letters like KOTY’s for as long as I have been going to Costa Rica which is about 8 years. There is no doubt that Costa Rica has both petty and violent crime, I just don’t think it is anywhere near out of control. I have roots in a town near Jaco and I know of people who have been robbed, one at gun point, but he was trying to buy some drugs in Jaco at 2am. The majority of people I know there both Tico and Gringo are good solid folks, because just like here in NYC that is who I choose to associate with. Violent crime is rampant in the US along with drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, murder, robbery, rape etc…I could list many horrible in-humane crimes that I have heard or read about as well. Just because you may live in a town where you feel safe, I can assure you crime of all sorts are taking place not far from you. I am not trying to say that CR is Eden, but it is no worse or better than many other places on earth. In eight years I had one tire slash incident and just kept driving. Could something terrible happen to me or my family sure, but i wont write off the whole country as going to hell because of it. An ex girlfriend was raped on the beach in Malibu right in front of Dick Clarks estate, it was a tragedy. Who would have thought she could not walk along the beach in front of our home at 5pm on one of the most expensive beach communities in the world?
I, too, wondered why Ben Vaughan, didn’t have (at least) CAJA insurance. Maybe he is a citizen of Costa Rica, and hence he is not legally required to pay into this system.
We all want to be healthy and if we could ‘[i]will it to be this way’ [/i]wouldn’t everybody be thrilled. But this isn’t to be, so one should have themselves covered and even if he only had CAJA they do extremely well in an emergency situation. Accidents and unexpected medical occurrences do happen…if he were a citizen, then wouldn’t CAJA take care of him? all the citizens i know pay into this program. regardless, it’s still tragic, and just drives home the importance of having some kind of coverage here for the unexpected. he is likely facing hundreds of thousands of $$ in hospital bills, i heard the air lift was $6000. in this day and age of the unexpected, it’s pure folly not to have some basic protection of some kind.
If he had been initially transported to a CAJA hospital, yes they would. But he went, not by his choice of course, to a private facility.
I know many Ticos that don’t belong to CAJA….mainly because they know that if they go to the clinic or hospital, they will not be refused treatment.Interesting how the thread went from robbery ,theft and assault to why didn’t the victim have health insurance for heaven sake. Shame on him.
No, there is no shame on him.
One shouldn’t expect others to have to help pay for the medical treatment since they decided [i]’they didn’t need it'[/i]. A choice was made.
No-one knows what is in store for them and one should be at least prepared financially to cover the costs of these horrific injuries.
What if no friends had came forward to help defray these costs? Will they cover them all? I doubt it.
We have been robbed three times and also sustained multiple injuries due to an accident, but we are members of CAJA and have also paid many thousands of dollars to private hospitals here for specialized treatment.[quote=”maravilla”]first of all, the perp is still in jail. A.M. costa rica mistakenly reported that Jason had been let out. of course, this incident is beyond horrendous. and there is no justification or defense for it, but i’m just curious as to why Ben Vaughan, who has lived here for 20 years, didn’t have (at least) CAJA insurance, which is now required of all legal residents. crime is a horrible thing; i was robbed 18 months ago, but they didn’t get very much, and i wasn’t there when it happened so i wasn’t ever in harm’s way. ramping up the paranoia on crime isn’t going to accomplish anything. and don’t think about going to mexico; the crime is worse there, AND they just kill you if you don’t have what they want, and even if you do. countries with high levels of poverty are breeding grounds for criminals — the locals watch the rich gringos move in with all those toys and gadgets and they want that too, but will never ever be able to afford it, and their thinking is that if you could afford to buy it the first time, you can also afford to replace it. this is simply a reality living in Latin America, some places worse than others. i wish Ben the strength to make it through this incident. no doubt his life will change forever, but he seems to have a whole community rallying for him. he’s lucky in that regard.[/quote]
Actually, the community concerned with escalating crime includes Costa Ricans who also have been getting ripped off. The lack of a police force is part of the problem. My intention is not to hype up paranoia about crime but to get people to acknowledge the problem so something can be done. I know some people who live in Mexico and yes, petty crime is bad. The drug trade creates the murders, just like in the US but they have a police force that patrols. What gets me thinking is I do not know one person living in Costa Rica who has not been affected by crime, some of it violent in the past 2 years. It is the rate that is scary. In the US, I do not know one person who HAS been affected by crime, and I know a lot more people in the US, during the last 10-20 years. Are you denying that something needs to be done?
There’s no doubt that “something needs to be done”. It needs to be done in the U.S. and it needs to be done in Costa Rica. The question is, “What is it that needs to be done?”
If there were a known effective response, I’m confident that somebody would have proven it by now. Trouble is, that approach is almost certain to require more resources. And “resources” typically means those taxes we all so love to hate.
So first we must determine what it is that’s to be done. Then we have to come to an agreement about how to pay for it. It should be an interesting process to observe.
there are areas in costa rica that are worse for crime than others, and the area where you are is the path of drug runners, so that brings in a huge criminal element. i know plenty of people who have NOT been victims of crime in Costa Rica. contrary to your opinion, it doesn’t happen to everyone. but it does hark back to the disperity in wealth — the have-nots watching those who have too damn much — moving into areas that previously were not pockets of gringos with lots of goodies, just there for the picking. most of my friends in mexico travel with armed bodyguards for fear of being kidnapped and/or murdered. petty crime has ALWAYS been a part of latin culture; it is nearly condoned, after all, you have so much and someone else has so little that why shouldn’t they have a few of those things? we’ve had no violent crime in the area where i live. we don’t even have a lot of petty crime, so your observations are valid for the particular area where you live, but not for all of costa rica.
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