The Home Broken Into In Sosua area...

[rellosk]

There is no way, with all the gringos pouring in hundreds of millions of dollars, that Cabarete will become too dangerous for you.

Unfortunately, it's the gringros that make the easiest targets.

 

[Beads]

any area where most of the income comes from tourists cannot be crime ridden or people just wouldnt visit.having been to both Sosua and Cabarete neither looks that bad. you do need to be careful of course but if you dont make yourself stand out as being far wealtheir than those around you there shouldnt be any problems. think about it if the police dont keep the tourists safe no money will be coming into Sosua or Cabarete hence no jobs hence no need for police presense hence no jobs for the police. granted your average dominican doesnt have the brainpower to realize this but luckily there are a few who do.

 

[blastdiaz]

Home invasions are on the rise in the U.S. Do an archives search in Newsday (Long Islands newspaper) and you will see that it is on the rise. There was one just the other day in Bayshore, NY.

While I can't argue that crime is on the rise in the entire planet. I can't help it but notice how much people blanket the US with just the east coast of the US. I live in the mid south and trully do not experience or learn of as many incidents as in the coast areas, California, NY, FL, GA etc. NY and NYC for example are places I would avoid at all cost.

 

[HOWMAR]

It is not the rise in crime that is the problem, but the rise in the fear of crime. With today's sensationalized, histrionic reporting of crime, people become fearful. Those that live in an area realize that crime was always present, but now the world knows of it in an instant. The prevoius poster alludes to the rise in crime in NY City. The fact is, in spite of all the crime you see reported in the media, native New Yorkers feel safer now than the previous 20 years. Those of us living on the North Coast know that the crimes that occur now, have always occurred. Just don't make yourself a target. Although you never want to victimize the victim again, in many cases they have had previous dealings, sometimes shady dealings, with the criminal.

 

[NALs]

Home invasions are on the rise in the U.S. Do an archives search in Newsday (Long Islands newspaper) and you will see that it is on the rise. There was one just the other day in Bayshore, NY.

Do you mean these?

If you didn't, it does not matter. The collection of these crimes in the US and Canada makes those country seem as out of control crime ridden areas, much how this thread is portraying the DR.

But, that's typical of crime threads on DR1.com. Usually, the first post is about an incident and the rest are speculation, speculation, speculation! Funny how people become more freighten from the speculation than the actual crime itself!

-NALs

Edited all links as none of these links have anything to do with the DR.... Here we talk about DR crime and not US crime.

 

[Chirimoya]

Nals, you do this again and again. Crime is a problem in many places, including the US. No one is saying it isn't. But this is DR1, not US1.

Up till a couple of years ago you could safely say that the DR was a relatively crime-free country. Although it's still safer than other countries in the region like Jamaica, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, no matter what Rocky says about Sosua, things have definitely got worse in the capital and many other parts of the country.

 

[suarezn]

Everybody knows there's been a very large increase not only in crime but also in the different forms of crime. I can tell you that the small town where I'm from, 10-15 years ago, was pretty much crime free except for the occasional petty theft of a chicken or something small like that. Drugs and gangs were unheard of. Now we have many people whom everybody knows are drug addicts, we have gangs (several from what I understand), violent crimes are occurring with more frequency, home invasions are commonplace, etc. We've even had two kidnappings (granted they weren't random acts, but drug related). We also had a few instances where exchange houses and even a bank were robbed by groups of extremely heavily armed groups of men (I'm talking Uzzies, sub-machine guns, etc.)

This is not even a big town I'm talking about here. I've never felt that I had to watch my back in my hometown, until lately. I never owned a gun and went all over at all times of the day and night. Now I'm in the process of acquiring a firearm and have become more aware of my surroundings. We now have a couple of neighborhoods where I wouldn't visit at night.

 

[rellosk]

The prevoius poster alludes to the rise in crime in NY City. The fact is, in spite of all the crime you see reported in the media, native New Yorkers feel safer now than the previous 20 years.

New Yorkers feel safer because the crime rate in NYC is about half of what it was 20 years ago. I'm note sure the same can be said about the crime rate in the DR.

Those of us living on the North Coast know that the crimes that occur now, have always occurred.

That may be true on the North Coast (although I haven't heard anyone except Rocky and yourself say that), but in and around the Capital I am definitely hearing (first and second hand reports) about more violent crimes in the last few years than I've heard of in the past.

 

[Eddy]

There are thefts (Pick pockets breakins etc.) several times a week in the Sosua area alone. Not too many are reported as it wouldn't do any good either way. Regardless of what some people say, the police will very rarely do anything. Far from wanting to scare anyone, we cannot stick our heads in a hole and pretend it doesn't happen. Just take the appropriate action to protect yourself. There has been good advice given on this and other threads, so take it.

 

[Ohmite]

Being the husband/father of the woman and child in this story, I thought I would add a few things.

We have 5 big dogs. One 200lb monster who is known in the area to bite people, rip the tires off motoconchos, and the bumpers off small cars.
These are dogs are normally not taken lightly by anyone. They look and act like serious business. They have done lots of damage, and people around here know it. I would never have thought that someone was crazy enough to enter my home with these guys loose. I was wrong.
This gang of thugs (3) came in the yard and breezed past the dogs, clubing the worse with sticks or machetes on the way by, and into the house. Fast.. and with no fear. It was pure luck that my wife looked out of the window and saw them coming. She locked the door, grabbed my daughter, cell phone, and locked themselves in the bathroom. The door slowed them down for a whole 10 seconds, before they were in the house. She called a neighbor, who's wife called the police while he came over to help. No one was hurt, thank goodness!!!!!!!!!!!

The point I am making, that contradicts a earlier statement in this thread:
Having big dogs is not enough anymore. Even dogs that are known to be dangerous. EVERYBODY in the area knows to stay away from my dogs, because they DO bite. This just didn't matter to these guys. In the past, having dogs was a great deterent. That just doesn't seem to be true anymore.

These 3 guys are bold, armed, and still at large. I wouldn't count on having dogs change their mind about robbing your house, or harming your family.
That would be a mistake.

 

[Rocky]

Dude,
I'm really sorry to hear what your wife & child went through.
I had no idea it was your house.
Really glad to hear they got out of it without harm.
We all know there is no one single crime deterrent that stops all crime, but dogs are usually at the top of the list.
I still don't get how they breezed by the dogs so easily, and knew that they could?
Do you think they knew the dogs?
Did they kill them all?
Did your wife recognize any of the thieves?

 

[Beads]

your quite right dogs are only a deterrent. whoever these 3 bandits are were INTENT on getting into your house for something. something they must know about or have seen for themselves. i would be careful who you hire to do handywork in the yard etc and not them inside the house at all. someone that intent on getting into your home had a reason. also extra safeguards inside the home should definitley be employed after an oocurrance like this.

 

[Mirador]

Being the husband/father of the woman and child in this story, I thought I would add a few things.

We have 5 big dogs. One 200lb monster who is known in the area to bite people, rip the tires off motoconchos, and the bumpers off small cars.
These are dogs are normally not taken lightly by anyone. They look and act like serious business. They have done lots of damage, and people around here know it. I would never have thought that someone was crazy enough to enter my home with these guys loose. I was wrong.
This gang of thugs (3) came in the yard and breezed past the dogs, clubing the worse with sticks or machetes on the way by, and into the house. Fast.. and with no fear. It was pure luck that my wife looked out of the window and saw them coming. She locked the door, grabbed my daughter, cell phone, and locked themselves in the bathroom. The door slowed them down for a whole 10 seconds, before they were in the house. She called a neighbor, who's wife called the police while he came over to help. No one was hurt, thank goodness!!!!!!!!!!!

The point I am making, that contradicts a earlier statement in this thread:
Having big dogs is not enough anymore. Even dogs that are known to be dangerous. EVERYBODY in the area knows to stay away from my dogs, because they DO bite. This just didn't matter to these guys. In the past, having dogs was a great deterent. That just doesn't seem to be true anymore.

These 3 guys are bold, armed, and still at large. I wouldn't count on having dogs change their mind about robbing your house, or harming your family.
That would be a mistake.

Just in case you decide to replace your dogs and leave things much the way they were, I suggest you consider leaving permanently inside the bathroom a cell phone and maybe even a weapon or two....

....

 

[Chris]

Really sorry to hear this Ohmite .. It must have been a terrifying experience for your wife and daughter.

 

[quaqualita]

It's been quite a while since I last posted here and I'm not sure if I'm still welcome, however since this is a serious story, here my reply:

I'm the wife / mother in this story. Regarding Rocky's questions:
no, they did not know my dogs - nobody, except the neighbour I called that night for help, knows them and can enter without getting bitten.
no, they did not kill the dogs, they have cuts and bruises, but they will be ok.
no, I did not regocnize the thieves, it was less than a second that I actually saw them while I was in panick and shock, but I'm pretty sure that I have never seen them before in my life.

Beads, all your advise is great. However, we have lived here in the DR for 12 years, we know about the 'general rules of being careful' and always lived by the rules. We never have any workers at our place, we do all our handywork ourselves, have been always extreamly careful in deciding who to invite to our place.
Also, there have been several robberies in the last weeks / months in the Cabarete area, I spoke in the last days to some of the houseowners being robbed, it's quite sure that this gang has done serveral of this robberies, descriptions match. So, they were not specially after something in our house or specially after us.
They seem to be focused on laptops and other small items they can carry and escape quickly with.

Mirador, that's how we live now, cell phones, walky talkies, mace spray and other 'toys' 24/7 handy and ready to use.

I'm posting here only because I want to let people in the area know to be extremely careful and aware. This guys have robbed other places before and I would say it's very unlikely that they will stop robbing others before getting caught. They are armed with machetes and 2 pistols, which I heard in other robberies they have used. I was extreamly lucky to get away from them with my daughter into safety - from the way how they acted I'm absolutely sure they would not have hesitated to harm or even kill me.
Noise, lights and dogs does NOT stop them. Until last week I would have totally agreed with Rocky, good dogs are great for protection - it was a mistake to think so.

It was an extreamly terrifying experience and I will need a long time to get over this. I'm worried that they might come back, and I 'm worried, that others have to go through the same or even worst than I did. Sorry to be so negative, but there is just no nice way to describe this very dangerous situation we are in at the moment. Please be careful out there.

 

[Chris]

I'm just really glad that you and your daughter got through this without serious injury. It will take a while, but you will get back to whatever is normal around here.

 

[gary short]

Snuffy I just realized you were relating ohmite's ordeal.
Mirador brought up an excellent point and that is to have a safe room in the house. Where you have a safe sanctuary, weapons, food, outside communication, water, snack food and a toilet. It could double as a safe haven from the odd hurricane.

 

[gary short]

Ohmite sorry to hear of your ordeal. I hope all will soon be well. Regards.

 

[Eddy]

Snuffy I just realized you were relating ohmite's ordeal.
Mirador brought up an excellent point and that is to have a safe room in the house. Where you have a safe sanctuary, weapons, food, outside communication, water, snack food and a toilet. It could double as a safe haven from the odd hurricane.

But is that really a life. There must me someone out there that can put pressure on the Gov. to get the police to do their job.

 

[gary short]

The whole infrastrusture has to be shaken up. Too much profit in drugs corrupts all levels and a corrupt judicial system coupled with liberal laws is a recipie for disaster. I know this country will figure it out, they have to much to lose.