C
Cdn_Gringo
Guest
I've read my fair share of reports where upper middle class and just plain wealthy Dominicans have been victims of robberies and home invasions. The motivation is money and dedicated criminals go where they believe the money is and the potential net take outweighs the perceived risk.
Lots of resident foreigners are at a disadvantage when it comes to language, the bureaucracy and the legal system. It would make sense to me that in a given cluster of foreigners there are a few options when a bad guy is looking for a naive, vulnerable and relatively low risk victim. If you live in the vicinity of sharks you have to expect that you will peak their interest from time to time even if only in passing.
This is why those who live in exposed areas, need to ensure that their actions convey the message that they are not messing around when it comes to allowing easy or unfettered access to their property. It doesn't have to be a fortress, but there needs to be a fence, lighting that is on all night augmented with motion detector flood lights. A dog or two is good. Outside gated communities, barred windows and doors are another obstacle that will need to be overcome by someone looking to get inside. The obvious, keep your doors locked when you are home or at least keep the iron gate locked if the door is open for a breeze. Someone should not be able to waltz right in unannounced.
An innocuous motion detector that chimes in the house when someone walks up your driveway or along the path to the door is a good idea. These can be mounted on all sides and high enough that the dogs don't set them off but a person not crawling on the ground will. No one can get to the house without at least a little bit of warning.
Lots of easy things one can do, it's just a matter of recognizing that you need to do them. Unfortunately, for some, this becomes an after the fact realization. A determined bad guy can be hard to stymie completely but most of these hood rats are not that determined and certainly not smart enough bypass several layers of passive deterrence. We get comfortable and lazy after awhile and that is what the sharks are waiting for.
Lots of resident foreigners are at a disadvantage when it comes to language, the bureaucracy and the legal system. It would make sense to me that in a given cluster of foreigners there are a few options when a bad guy is looking for a naive, vulnerable and relatively low risk victim. If you live in the vicinity of sharks you have to expect that you will peak their interest from time to time even if only in passing.
This is why those who live in exposed areas, need to ensure that their actions convey the message that they are not messing around when it comes to allowing easy or unfettered access to their property. It doesn't have to be a fortress, but there needs to be a fence, lighting that is on all night augmented with motion detector flood lights. A dog or two is good. Outside gated communities, barred windows and doors are another obstacle that will need to be overcome by someone looking to get inside. The obvious, keep your doors locked when you are home or at least keep the iron gate locked if the door is open for a breeze. Someone should not be able to waltz right in unannounced.
An innocuous motion detector that chimes in the house when someone walks up your driveway or along the path to the door is a good idea. These can be mounted on all sides and high enough that the dogs don't set them off but a person not crawling on the ground will. No one can get to the house without at least a little bit of warning.
Lots of easy things one can do, it's just a matter of recognizing that you need to do them. Unfortunately, for some, this becomes an after the fact realization. A determined bad guy can be hard to stymie completely but most of these hood rats are not that determined and certainly not smart enough bypass several layers of passive deterrence. We get comfortable and lazy after awhile and that is what the sharks are waiting for.