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Interesting article,however the author leaves us dangling!
What does he propose that we do?…Should we arm ourselves?
And what if we shoot an intruder in our house in the middle of the night? We dont know if he means just to burgularize or to do bodily harm.
And what does the law say about the means we use to defend ourselves against such an intrusion?…Are we liable for murder?…
In the U.S., there is an expression used to describe police protection which likely applies here even more:…
“When seconds count, we’re there in minutes!”…So what do other expats recommend?
First of all, please allow me to clarify my position so that people do not take this out of context here in this Forum:
“I personally would not put my family’s safety in the hands of any government employee in any country who is paid a salary – of whatever amount – to “protect and serve” because history has proven time and time again that they do not protect and, they serve others, they certainly do not serve the public at large – you and I….”
Although I am clearly referring to the Costa Rican police in the article I do make it clear that:
“I would encourage you to make sure that *you* take full responsibility for the safety and security of you, your family and your property [b]wherever you may live in this world[/b].”
As for leaving you “dangling” – sorry about that but each of us have different comfort zones and we all live in different areas with different levels of risk so as mature adults we must all assess that risk and make the best decisions for our particular circumstances.
Many of our VIP Members (including myself) have never personally encountered serious crime in Costa Rica.
Others have had negative experiences and may now have more dogs in the garden, a better security system and maybe some weapons in the home.
Lastly for legal reasons, I am certainly not about to recommend that everyone run out and buy a gun but many of our American friends are accustomed to having weapons and have them here too. The legalities of which are somewhat confusing…
As you may know from reading [url=https://www.welovecostarica.com/public/Costa_Rica_Scams__Doing_the_right_thing.cfm]Costa Rica Scams – Doing the right thing can get you into a whole load of trouble![/url] I don’t carry a gun because of any problems or fears I have with the people of Costa Rica, I only carry a gun because of numerous death threats I received at one time from Americans.
After “… a Costa Rican attorney friend of mine informed me that someone had been paid to plant drugs in my car…,” I decided that if they were capable of doing that, they might be capable of more serious actions so it was at that time I got my carry permit…
As a former Royal Marines Commando (British Special Forces and as far as I know the Royal Marines were the original “green berets” – hundreds of years before you had them in the U.S.,) I am very comfortable with a number of weapons.
Scott
Interesting story. Sounds like you have found some weak minded folks. If these people were the real deal you would not see it coming. We had a neighbor that worked at JFK New York, before moving to the Tahoe area. He and his wife moved 9 times in one year up until the hit man caught up with them ( this crime was never solved).
Many of my neighbors have personal protection including myself. There is a very small chance of ever having an intruder come into the house (a huge mistake)to do harm. I don’t carry a weapon but do have a concealed weapon permit. I think you should be self reliant and not depend on the police solely.
Dogs can be a good first line of defense but they can be shot or poisoned easily. There is a young man in the Santana area I met several years back working the night shift as a property guard. He and his dog were shot, fortunately he survived. If he had a gun instead of a dog things might have been different. He was shot when he discovered the thieves stealing his 125 motorcycle.
Better safe than sorry!!
It’s refreshing to read some logical common sense comments regarding personal safety without injecting all the liberal mumbo jumbo 😀
I just think its important that one clearly knows what his options are in defending his home and family. In the middle of the night when danger suddenly presents itself, a moment of hesitation wondering what ones LEGAL options are as opposed to common horse-sense, can prove fatal to him and his family…
What’s the American expression?
“I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6..”
… or something like that ….
Scott
If you are very interested in gun laws in Costa Rica and you are fluent in Spanish, you may wish to become a member of [url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/prodefensa/]ProDefensa on Facebook[/url]…. I am one of the 3,532 members.
Scott
Seems like a lot of the “squad cars” that you see roaming the streets of America have the saying “[b]To Serve and Protect[/b]” painted in some form or anither on the side.
In point of fact, the local [b]police are peace-keepers not protectors from crime[/b]. They are very good at settling neighborhood disputes and complaints.
[b]IF[/b] we assume that they are protectors from crime we must assume that they have some foreknowledge that a crime is about to be committed, where it is to be committed and who will be involved.
Anyone who assumes that any police force can protect them from crime must be of limited intelligence. 🙄
The last time I looked, the odds of suffering from violent crime in Costa Rica out side of the bigger cities are pretty slim. I should think a few dogs and a pistol would be more than sufficient.
People in the States seem to need quite a bit more.
[quote=”sprite”]The last time I looked, the odds of suffering from violent crime in Costa Rica out side of the bigger cities are pretty slim. I should think a few dogs and a pistol would be more than sufficient.
People in the States seem to need quite a bit more.[/quote]
The greatest reason for crimes against tourists and ex-pats in the big city is the utter stupidity of the victim.
Driving a nice vehicle or flashing cash or cell phones or anything of value left in a car unattended results in loss of possessions. On top of that the guys with guns gravitate to places were those things can be had.
Out here in the boonies the ladrones never have guns and are prone to burgle anyhting of value to feed their addiction to drink or drugs.
When we first arrived in 2008 I faced down a guy with two machetes in my hands. We haven’t been bothered since. The family occasionally refers to me as “Gringo Loco”. 😯
[quote=”Scott”]What’s the American expression?
“I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6..”
… or something like that ….
Scott
[/quote]
Another thing to remember is that if you’re the only one left breathing after an encounter with someone looking to do you or your loved ones harm….. YOUR version of the event is the ONLY one that gets heard.
Two people can keep a secret. As long as one of them is dead.
[quote=”imxploring”]
Another thing to remember is that if you’re the only one left breathing after an encounter with someone looking to do you or your loved ones harm….. YOUR version of the event is the ONLY one that gets heard.
Two people can keep a secret. As long as one of them is dead.[/quote]
. . . and no one investigates the physical evidence.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”] . . . and no one investigates the physical evidence.[/quote]
They didn’t investigate the “physical evidence” in one of the largest crime scenes in the history of the human race David (9/11) – they shipped it of to China – so maybe we’ll be lucky too!
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