So last night they took a motorcycle off my porch. Broke open the gate lock and carried off the bike. I say carried because it was chained. Unfortunately it wasn't chained to anything, just the wheels locked. It wasn't a new bike or particularly valuable (an old Gazelle), but the worst part is it wasn't mine, I was just 'keeping it safe' for a friend.
'Keeping safe' my foot.
Anyway, I've been dealing with the cops and the usual steps and I'm not getting my hopes up, but it did make me think about new material. I'm a blogger who writes/films about life on our fair island (my site is Kiskeya.Life) so I figured I'd write a comprehensive Dos and Don'ts for anyone dealing with this kind of issue after the fact. Maybe eventually I can also do a video about it (here are a few of the other videos I've done).
I've scrounged the Forum a bit and there's lots of 'how to keeps safe' info out there, not so much 'ok, it's happened, now what'. I found a few good points of advice, but I figured I'd open a thread just on that subject to pool the forum's knowledge. If there have been other threads on this already, I apologize, it's a big Forum.
I know what I went through and how I handled it, but I'd like to hear other people's experiences. If you've had a similar case, please let me know in the thread below. I'd particularly appreciate real Dos and Don'ts, especially if you've had bad/good experiences with the police, neighbours, or even the burglars themselves.
I'm particularly focusing on burglary, but I guess straight stick-em-up-robbery should also be mentioned. What steps should be taken? Who should or shouldn't you talk to? Who can or can't help you? Is the new 911 system any good? Do bribes help/make matter worse? The cops have a bad rep, but is it always justified? What if one doesn't speak Spanish? Does appealing to embassies help?
Thank to all for the help and looking forward to reading all the info!
/Alec
'Keeping safe' my foot.
Anyway, I've been dealing with the cops and the usual steps and I'm not getting my hopes up, but it did make me think about new material. I'm a blogger who writes/films about life on our fair island (my site is Kiskeya.Life) so I figured I'd write a comprehensive Dos and Don'ts for anyone dealing with this kind of issue after the fact. Maybe eventually I can also do a video about it (here are a few of the other videos I've done).
I've scrounged the Forum a bit and there's lots of 'how to keeps safe' info out there, not so much 'ok, it's happened, now what'. I found a few good points of advice, but I figured I'd open a thread just on that subject to pool the forum's knowledge. If there have been other threads on this already, I apologize, it's a big Forum.
I know what I went through and how I handled it, but I'd like to hear other people's experiences. If you've had a similar case, please let me know in the thread below. I'd particularly appreciate real Dos and Don'ts, especially if you've had bad/good experiences with the police, neighbours, or even the burglars themselves.
I'm particularly focusing on burglary, but I guess straight stick-em-up-robbery should also be mentioned. What steps should be taken? Who should or shouldn't you talk to? Who can or can't help you? Is the new 911 system any good? Do bribes help/make matter worse? The cops have a bad rep, but is it always justified? What if one doesn't speak Spanish? Does appealing to embassies help?
Thank to all for the help and looking forward to reading all the info!
/Alec