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WOW!!!
Please know that I did not mean to offend anyone or suggest that Scott is in any way misleading expats to come and buy in CR under false pretenses. To the contrary, I love CR and its people. My greatest concern is the escalation of violence. Monetary things can be replaced. Body parts and feelings of security-not so much. I don’t want to turn into an obsessive, compulsive, psychotic neurotic. ~smile
What I was wondering by my post was whether the people who were living there were not just AWARE of this trend, but ALARMED. And if there was something being suggested or done to reverse it (other than just hiding from it and pointing out that things are bad elsewhere).
I agree on the economics issue, but that would be IMPOSSIBLE to try to change (even over decades) unless they found a way to stop money from coming into the country and did a governmental Robin Hood (steal from the rich and give to the poor). I think a show of force (more and better equiped police) , punishment, and strict enforcement
will be the only way to help curb this trend on a short term basis. Not just to rid themselves of the actual criminal, but to send a STONG message to others that “if you steal (violently) you WILL be caught and PUNISHED SEVERELY.” Nobody wants to have to have more restrictions, but I have always felt that the only ones who need to worry about that are the criminals. If the locals don’t want to fund it-I agree that an increase in the exit tax, and/or an increase in the “resort tax” would go a long way to fund that. I know an extra 1 or 2% would not make a hill of beans difference to me on a hotel stay. The resorts, and tourist related attractions should be OUT OF THEIR MINDS with worry that tourism may drop off…although there is that “trickle-down theory of economics” these people will be hit the hardest and quickest.Again, this thread was not to start wide-spread paranoia, just looking for input on whether this is just a localized media scare, or the real McCoy.
This topic will always elicit a big response. It is good to talk about these things as long as a realistic perspective can be kept. That may be difficult to do. Statistics and anecdotal stories are all interesting but probably cannot be used alone to establish what the reality is. I had a conversation with a well educated Tico about this matter last year. His thought on the subject was that crime may well have increased recently, but the reporting of crime by the media and by word of mouth perhaps exaggerates the significance.
It’s sort of like the same mentality that makes so many people buy lottery tickets. One winner out of many millions of players somehow gives people the hope, however unlikely, that one of them might be the next winner. Victims of crime are a tiny fraction of the whole population yet a few stories of murder automatically have most of us believing we could be the next one. Do you really think you might be one of the dozen or so people people murdered during the year out of one million people living in San Jose next time you are in town?Edited on Sep 28, 2007 16:04
If security is not an issue in CR, then why does everyone have so many bars on the windows, walls around their property, caretakers, guards and a bunch of keys just to get to the front door? Of course things are worse in SJ–it’s usually worse in the cities and I don’t think anyone in the forum wants to create a panic—what’s to be gained by that? I’m the first one to defend Puerto Viejo when a problem arises there so that people know that it’s not typical and the victims were walking alone at 2 am and drunk when they were attacked. Heck, I wouldn’t do that in Boonton Tw, but I would just hope that if you’re taking notice, then something will be done so that things do not get worse! Right now CR is by no means anywhere near El Salvador’s criminal situation, but it’s certainly having trouble curbing crime and it needs to be addressed or Costa Rica will never be the same. For ten years I took university student to CR on an 8 week language & cultural exchange program and they were witness & victims of just how things changed. First we had to find “safer” neighborhoods for them to stay at, then they were mugged at gunpoint near UCR in the middle of the day, and finally we had some guys chase our bus one night while leaving Tabacon and heading back to Arenal Observatory Lodge, I was very grateful to see the armed guard at the gate and to watch the car full of men turn around & speed away. This has also happened to tour buses going to Tortuguero. Frankly, our group never had trouble in most places we visited (Tamarindo, Limon, Monteverde, Osa nor Manuel Antonio), but these few incidents made the university reconsider their venue even though it was the most liked program of its kind on campus. …Frankly, it’s not good when when a top guy at the OIJ in Heredia (F. Vargas) gets carjacked at gunpoint and yes, he had a flashy car, but I can tell you of 3 people that I know personally that have had their car’s “removed” and they had older, very non-flashy cars. When I lived in Guadalupe, almost every house on my block was broken into (the guard was involved and since we kept very irregular hours, he had trouble finding a “good time” for his buddies to break in). One of the thieves was caught with the TV on his shoulder and although they arrested him, he was out that same day and was never convicted! This man had robbed a whole neighborhood and nothing happened to him. When we had the bicycle stolen in Barva, we got the whole neighborhood organized and the robberies stopped. Neighbors get together because the laws aren’t very useful right now. These laws need to be re-addressed so that there are punishments for those that infringe on the rights of others & most certainly when they have actually caused physical harm. No one lives in a vacuum, You don’t know how glad I am that it hasn’t happened to you and many, many others, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not happening and in the end, it will impact your life one way or another.
It already is impacting my life and I am not even living there yet. I am not immune to human nature and I also worry inordinately about this.I must allow for security in my house construction budget and design.
I don;t see much happening with the crime watch method here in Miami and so I don’t expect much will happen there either. It’s a big problem with many causes but the prime cause, disparate wealth distribution, is the only way to fix it effectively. Punishment is the least effective tool. Somewhere higher on the list would be personal vigilance and self defense.I was just telling someone tonight how I suffered culture shock at MIA Int’l airport after returning from spending a glorious year in CR in 1983. I was barely 20 then, but I was painfully obvious that I had landed in the “no help zone” and that in CR more than one person would have assisted me. Don’t underestimate the synergistic effects you will reap by showing your humanity and treating them with respect and dignity regardless of their economic status. Now, I’m not saying that every Tico(a) is an angel–that would be naive, just that the majority are really wonderful people and have a culture of helping one another. I’m not exaggerating and neither is the info on this site when it states that the CR people are beautiful (inside and out)–they really are! You’d be surprised how much at “home” you feel once you actually become part of the community. Pura Vida Sprite & best of luck with your move…Rebeca
I forgot to mention this one fact. Just the other day the FBI in the US said crime has risen, I believe, 1.8% since 2004. This may indicate a worldwide trend in the upswing of crime. This was an article on Microsoft’s Internet explorer newspage. If I can find it again I’ll post the link.
There are no simple one solution answers to the problem worldwide. No one wants their rights infringed upon by police state tactics, and no one wants their lives scrutinized by officials in every possible way. We all look to Costa Rica because of the sense of freedom we used to enjoy back home, in the good old days. This is a new and changing world, and with it comes different situations which we all have to deal with.
Society is evolutionary, new challenges will always be coming our way. We all have new issues which threaten our comfort factor, and we will have to find our own ways of dealing with them. Airing opinions on issues like this, while sometimes disturbing, will ultimately help us all in figuring out what is best for us to do.
The purpose of this website being “We love Costa Rica” means that even though we discuss negative issues, we try to come up with positive solutions to help us enjoy our stay in CR, and perhaps the new life we have chosen to have there.
Ticos and expats alike want security and a better life. It is one thing culturally that binds us.
I’m sure all will work together to bring as good a life as possible, in this ever changing world, for Costa Rica.
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