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Just my 2 cents to add.
We Bought a house in Atenas in Feb. in a gated community, 2 weeks later the Pool pump and hot water heater was stolen. Of course when we came down to Costa Rica crime was a major issue and the biggest negative for us as far as Costa Rica goes. When we settled into our gated community, everyone we met said they had either been robbed or knew someone was that was robbed. Actually the vast majority of people we met had said sooner or later you will get robbed and expect it. I disagree with one poster here that says something alone the lines that there is crime thorough out the US too, I took out of what he was writing that there is no difference. I assure everyone here that there are places in the US that crime is basically nonexistent. I don’t lock my house in the states when I leave and never lock my car even when there is stuff in there. Don’t know if such a place exists in CR.
In any event, Americans, Europeans etc. will always be a target in CR. It has nothing to do with race. Its math, If someone is going to rob someone they want to make it worth there time. Who would you rob a local that Probably only makes 800-1000 colonies an hour or a visitor that is sure to have some form of wealth on them?
The solution…..I never like to bitch about something without as least making a suggestion or two. If folks really complain about this crime issue and this issue becomes known to other so called “investors” The CR government would more likely act to increase funding for security forces. After all they want our Gringo money here.
Of course, a Charles Bronson or Bernard gets type would greatly help the situation. Just for the record I’m not the type.
One thing that can be done now is with Scott and this website, We always here about the great things about living in CR but here very little about crime. Perhaps there should be more articles about it or even a warning, like Scots warning about realtors on the top of the site home page.
I will say this and this is not to put anyone down. When we bought our house here, we specifically asked about crime in Atenas, We were told by the realtors (both recommended from this site) that they have never been robbed and have never heard of anyone being robbed in Atenas . Of course, most of the Gringos we met know those realtors and some have even been clients, they were clearly dishonest with us. Of course they are motivated not to tell the whole truth. (We didn’t believe it anyway as we had spoken to folks before we bought and found out there was a crime issue (even in Atenas) but it did lose our faith in those two realtors and we will be cautious about recommendations from this site). Personally in the future, we plan on doing more investments we will not be using them again. I will say I did like one of them and did find him to be good overall, The other realtor, However….well that is a totally different story.
Crime in general:
one it comes down to it your going to be robbed one way or the other either by the American Government or the local criminals. I’ll take my chances with the locals. But everyone should be aware!who would buy anything anywhere if the truth were told about local crime? oh, yeah, it’s a nice neighborhood, but you’ll get robbed eventually. that’s a good sales pitch. if you don’t ever want to be robbed, move where there are no poor people. i don’t know where that is so it’s a rhetorical. no matter how little we may have by US standards, we will always have more than the most modest of locals, so of course, we are targets. it would be silly to think otherwise.
Personally, I know many Costa Ricans who live in poverty and are honest, caring individuals. What is happening is they are being threatened as well to keep their mouths shut by the thugs that are doing the crimes. The locals who have come into some money are also getting targeted. Imagine that, you finally get somewhere and a neighbor steals your things. The lack of an adequate police force and ways to punish criminals are what is causing this problem. By crime wave, I mean that it is increasing as more people see those getting away with crime, as the criminals become more powerful, they threaten even more and get away with more. It is very negative and increasingly violent cycle that needs to be stopped. Ticos and gringos alike need to work together in their diverse neighborhoods. People are scared both gringo and tico. In the area where we go most often in Costa Rica, the gringos have done much for the local community. They have rebuilt the school, they donate time and energy for life guards, they re-routed the river so that it stops flooding the village, they have started a local library and even given christmas presents to the children in the school. The community is strong there, both gringo and tico. It is the thugs that ruin this relationship. It is tragic.
[quote=”maravilla”]who would buy anything anywhere if the truth were told about local crime? oh, yeah, it’s a nice neighborhood, but you’ll get robbed eventually. that’s a good sales pitch. if you don’t ever want to be robbed, move where there are no poor people. [/quote]
Of course I can’t agree with such a statement.
Honesty is always the best way to go, Wouldn’t it be proper if the seller or realtor not only tells you the great points of why CR is so great but also the down sides or perhaps that is just being too honest. Instead we could just lie about the crime, and let the buyer beware, that way the buyers will have good thoughts of us. I guess some folks haven’t heard of full disclosure. In any event it’s just being a good citizen to alert folks to the crime issue, even if its just petty crime (which in most cases in CR it is). It probably won’t change many peoples’ minds but it shows your good character and you will be building honest relationships.
“if you don’t ever want to be robbed, move where there are no poor peopl” …..again this is not a statement I agree with. Just because there are some poor people in an area doesn’t mean they are criminals. There are also rich criminals too. In fact perhaps you should check out areas of NC as a prime example. You will see in many areas trailer homes nested with expensive homes. Some of these areas have basically no crime. On the other hand try living in Hollywood cal. an extremely rich area that needs private security everywhere.
[quote=”koty”]Personally, I know many Costa Ricans who live in poverty and are honest, caring individuals. What is happening is they are being threatened as well to keep their mouths shut by the thugs that are doing the crimes. The locals who have come into some money are also getting targeted. Imagine that, you finally get somewhere and a neighbor steals your things. The lack of an adequate police force and ways to punish criminals are what is causing this problem. By crime wave, I mean that it is increasing as more people see those getting away with crime, as the criminals become more powerful, they threaten even more and get away with more. It is very negative and increasingly violent cycle that needs to be stopped. Ticos and gringos alike need to work together in their diverse neighborhoods. People are scared both gringo and tico. In the area where we go most often in Costa Rica, the gringos have done much for the local community. They have rebuilt the school, they donate time and energy for life guards, they re-routed the river so that it stops flooding the village, they have started a local library and even given christmas presents to the children in the school. The community is strong there, both gringo and tico. It is the thugs that ruin this relationship. It is tragic.[/quote]
This post says it all!!!
Sounds like a great community, do you mind naming it?
Obviously a little police enforcement will go along way in such a community.Thanks!
[quote=”gzeniou”][quote=”koty”]Personally, I know many Costa Ricans who live in poverty and are honest, caring individuals. What is happening is they are being threatened as well to keep their mouths shut by the thugs that are doing the crimes. The locals who have come into some money are also getting targeted. Imagine that, you finally get somewhere and a neighbor steals your things. The lack of an adequate police force and ways to punish criminals are what is causing this problem. By crime wave, I mean that it is increasing as more people see those getting away with crime, as the criminals become more powerful, they threaten even more and get away with more. It is very negative and increasingly violent cycle that needs to be stopped. Ticos and gringos alike need to work together in their diverse neighborhoods. People are scared both gringo and tico. In the area where we go most often in Costa Rica, the gringos have done much for the local community. They have rebuilt the school, they donate time and energy for life guards, they re-routed the river so that it stops flooding the village, they have started a local library and even given christmas presents to the children in the school. The community is strong there, both gringo and tico. It is the thugs that ruin this relationship. It is tragic.[/quote]
This post says it all!!!
Sounds like a great community, do you mind naming it?
Obviously a little police enforcement will go along way in such a community.Thanks![/quote]
I would be very interested in knowing what community you are writing about. Its very helpful to all of us.
Thanks,
D ThomasIf you were to visit Ojochal today for the first time , it would be hard to imagine what it looked like only twenty years ago. Groceries were a days horse ride to Cortes and alot of the land was a cashew farm. I haven’t been established there for that long but have been visiting for quite some time.
There’s always been a good relationship between the Ticos and gringos as the town has grown.
As stated above, some of the devellopers and new citizens have stepped up in a big way to help out the community and continue to do so.
I receive e-mails from the seguridad committee whenever there’s been a theft or other incident, complete with descriptions of the theives and vehicles if available.
My neighbor behind me beeps his security alarm when a stranger shows up at my house if I’m away, and my other neighbor will e-mail me if there’s anything suspicious.
It’s comforting to know that everyone watches out for each other and it creates freindships at the same time.
Crime is on the rise regardless, but alot of the residents of Ojochal are trying to make a difference and I’m happy to be part of such a community.It is hard to tell what the real risk is. Risk assesment is best done with facts and many accounts are second hand and very thin on attributions that can be validated.
That being said, accounts like the one mentioned in Dominical which have solid basis in reality are very disturbing.
[quote=”costaricafinca”] 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.
What are the penalties for having a gun without a license in CR? If one had such a gun and used it during a real house intrusion and the intruder was shot, what would happen when the police came and found that your gun you used was not licensed?
It is possible for a non-resident to possess a gun – notice I said “possess”, not “own”. I set up a separate corporation specifically for the purpose of that corporation legally “owning” a weapon, and I then “possess” it. The corporation’s ownership does not translate to a “carry permit” so I keep it in the house and never carry it in my car or on any travels with others.
Prior to moving to CR 2 years ago “I owned more guns than I needed but fewer guns than I wanted”. When we moved, some of the weapons were given to family members, some were sold to and gunsmiths and collectors, and most were placed in storage back in the States.
The sole purpose of the weapon I now possess is for self protection, and even then I would hope to be able to use it in a manner that would ward off an intruder, rather than be forced to use it to harm an intruder. HOWEVER, neither my wife nor I have any qualms about shooting to injure or kill someone if we think that either of us are at risk of bodily injury.
As to what would happen (legally) if I were forced to shoot an intruder I don’t know, but I would rather take my chances in the CR legal system rather than at the mercy of a machete wielding, drug-crazed intruder.
By the way, several of us here on our hill possess guns, and most of those weapons are much more lethal than my 38 caliber revolver. We feel having the guns is necessary because of past experience with the “little Bogota” type neighborhood just below the base of our hill. I am quite sure that not all of my neighbors’ guns are legal (and i don’t care) but all of the guns make enough noise to warn potential intruders that they might want to reconsider any plans to make an unwanted visit to our neighborhood. An occasional round or two fired into our garden or hillside seems to be a sufficient reminder to those within earshot.
I am quite sure that some of you will be at odds with my “gun toting” philosophy, and I respect your right to disagree. Hopefully you will likewise respect that I went through the necessary process to legally possess a weapon, as well as my desire to sleep well each night.[quote=”gkbiz”][quote=”costaricafinca”] 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.
What are the penalties for having a gun without a license in CR? If one had such a gun and used it during a real house intrusion and the intruder was shot, what would happen when the police came and found that your gun you used was not licensed?[/quote]
Actually Gringos are allowed to buy guys, legally via the back door. You can just have your corporation buy the guy, the corp. is considered a CR citizen. At least this is how my neighbor got his.
The law [i]used to permit[/i] one to legally purchase guns through a S.A. but now one must have permanent residency status or be a citizen of Costa Rica. It changed a few months ago.
A poster on another forum, repeated how he went to several gun stores and was refused, but one company did allow him to purchase one and did all the paperwork for an addition 20,000 col. Legally?Costaricafinca is correct. The days of gringos owning firearms through a corporation are over as of several months ago. There no longer is a back door for owning or “possessing”. You either get a permit as a legal permanent resident/citizen or you get an illegal firearm and pray you don’t need to use it.
In the end, I’d rather be alive than dead or worse for my family so soon it will be decision time…
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