Burglary in Lomas del Manglar this Tuesday

I found this on Chapala.com and thought I would share it in case anyone lives in or near Lomas del Manglar.

"A friend and I went to Guadalajara Tuesday to shop. She arrived at my house about 10:15 AM; we left and returned at about 5:15 PM. At 5:30 PM she called me and said her house had been robbed while we were gone. The thief or thieves entered through the skylight in the laundry room. Her bedroom was trashed with drawers pulled out and things scattered all over the room. The only things they got, as far as she knew when she called me, was her camera and her cell phone. She said she was not going to report it to the police as she felt it does no good.

Warning: this was a brazen daylight robbery. Please don't get complacent. It can happen to you!

Note: the thief/thieves knew she was gone because her car was gone. She has 2 dogs, a Yorkie and a somewhat larger dog; it's reasonable to assume that they did at least bark at the time."

I wonder if there were any homes being worked on near by, it is usually the workers who watch and case a home and then go in when the people leave or a neighbor.

I don't know if there was work being done in the neighborhood, but I have a friend who just bought a house there and I think she'll add some more protection before moving in.

There have been a number of burglaries in both Sayulita and San Pancho. I state that to let you (at lakeside) know that you are not alone in this problem. It is a sign of the economy...whether from a lack of jobs locally or from returning locals who lost their jobs NOB and, of course, the usual other reasons too.
A deadbolt lock, that requires the key to get out as well as the key to get in, is a really good investment. A thief may have a bizarre way of getting in (like a skylight) but it's unlikely that they will leave (with your possessions) via that same route...don't make it easy for them!
I'm waiting for someone to make a motion detector that sets a tape in motion of a barking and snarling pack of dogs.

How hard and expensive would it be to put motion detector alarms on windows, doors and sky lights? Something high enough to not be triggered by pets?...and LOUD?

kipissippi wrote:How hard and expensive would it be to put motion detector alarms on windows, doors and sky lights? Something high enough to not be triggered by pets?...and LOUD?

In the fall of 2009, when our neighborhood was beset by much trouble in the form of home break-ins and such, we installed a constantly monitored home alarm system that was sensitive to both movement in the periphery of the home and the opening of entry doors. The alarm system was sensitive to human movement in the garden as well as on the roof where we have several skylights. We have always had iron bars on the windows but not on the skylights. These motion detecting alarms are set to go off with extremely loud and compelling sirens should anyone break their monitored area or open a door triggered for detection. Should the alarm be triggered, the alarm company is responsible for calling us immediately and, unless called off by us using a special private code, send a company representative immediately to the property accompanied by the Chapala cops.

So far we have had this alarm system in place since the fall of 2009 and we have had a few false alarms plus at least one actual attempted middle of the night home invasion that was thwarted by the alarm system. Had we not had the constantly monitored alarm system that sounded the loud alert at about 3:00AM, we would, no doubt, have been burglarized as a workman (plumber) working on our premise had clearly made a duplicate key to our front door while here and given it to some of his cholo pals intent on robbing us.

That constant monitoring by S.O.S.E. out of Chapala costs us the equivalent of about $40USD a month and so far S.O.S.E. has provided impeccable service - always calling instantly upon the sounding of an alarm and showing up on premise within a few minutes if not called off by that special code.

Now, if some moron tries to break into our home through a window, door or skylight or even cross our garden approaching our house, that alarm scares the hell out of them and if they should be so stupid as to stick around, the alarm company and, if necessary the local cops, are here in no time. A fine service well worth $40USD a month.

By the way, our large dogs and several cats do not trigger the alarm by their movements within the sensitive zone.

I should also mention that we put up some formidable concertina wire on our already eight foot high stone walls. Sonsabitches try to break in here and it´s underwear changing time. Feets don´t fail me now.

ferret wrote:There have been a number of burglaries in both Sayulita and San Pancho. I state that to let you (at lakeside) know that you are not alone in this problem. It is a sign of the economy...whether from a lack of jobs locally or from returning locals who lost their jobs NOB and, of course, the usual other reasons too.
A deadbolt lock, that requires the key to get out as well as the key to get in, is a really good investment. A thief may have a bizarre way of getting in (like a skylight) but it's unlikely that they will leave (with your possessions) via that same route...don't make it easy for them!
I'm waiting for someone to make a motion detector that sets a tape in motion of a barking and snarling pack of dogs.

Ferrit, I hear they have such a thing in the US - barking dog motion detector. Maybe someone could bring one back for you.

kipissippi wrote:How hard and expensive would it be to put motion detector alarms on windows, doors and sky lights? Something high enough to not be triggered by pets?...and LOUD?

The kind of window and motion alarms you can buy and install yourself are not very loud. I've had them myself. The professional alarm system I have now is really loud, but it was expensive - and my friend set it off a fair amount bothering the neighbors.

Hmmm...wonder if anyone carries "BEWARE OF SNAKE" signs? I don't know if it would work in Mexico...but here in Mississippi the majority of the population is terrified of snakes!

A "Protected by Smith & Wesson" sign and a few fake rifles hanging on the wall clearly visible through your barred windows certainly wouldn't hurt.

Yeah...but if they see you go out...they'll probably steal the rifles!

Yeah probably.......I was thinking about the times when they know you are home.

I was burgled once when I lived in San Antonio Tlayacapan. Was sharing a house with a friend and someone must have seen us go out together (I found out later it was probably the son of our neighbor who had been in jail for doing something similar to another neighbor). We left together and I went to a meeting but my friend returned walking. He interrupted them around 1:30pm in broad daylight so they didn't get much - they ran out the back the way they came in leaving things they were trying to steal laying on the floor.

They came over a steep wall with broken bottle glass - chipped it off. Used our yard tools to break a window I couldn't believe a man could get through. We were renting but put bars on the small windows, and our landlord put a chain link fence with razor wire on top for us. So it can be your neighbor - watching when you go out or construction people working in the area, or maids or gardeners. You never know.

Any chance we could be semantically correct concerning these crimes? Simpsca was the victim of a burglary. The murder yesterday was the result of a robbery. Robbery is a face-to-face crime. They both happen here, but let's be clear, robbery is much more dangerous than burglary.