Double murder robbery in La Floresta?

Several people have requested a human translation of this Informador article:

GUADALAJARA, JALISCO (15/FEB/2014).- The murder of the Canadian couple in the La Floresta subdivision in Ajijic, Chapala does not mean there is heightened insecurity in the area since it was an exceptional case, stated Municipal Police Chief Ramón del Arco Pérez. In fact, the crime rate is much less than in other municipalities: “This is the second high-impact crime we have had since the beginning of this administration”.

The chief pointed out that while there are residential thefts these are done by people who await an opportunity and who, above all, are not local residents but for the most part come from municipalities in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area for the purpose of stealing. This is evidenced by the arrests, for example of two gangs of car thieves from Tlajomulco who only came on market days.

Other thieves have come to surreptitiously steal whatever they can fit in their backpacks when residents are out shopping or on errands, thinking that foreigners are wealthy. These come from neighborhoods in southern Guadalajara and along its boundary with Tlaquepaque: “They think that since they are foreigners they are all have money, but the truth is that they are retired people who come for the climate. Their pensions allow them to live reasonably well here, something they could not do in the United States. They live better here than in the United States from their pensions but they are not rich”.

Patrol cars are lacking

The police department is made up of 110 people, which includes all administrative personnel and 19 officers that will only be here for a short time as they will be sent in a few months to the "Fuerza Única" [elite state force], with twelve patrol cars (of which usually one or two is in the shop each day) and nine motorcycles. He stated that with these resources he can watch over the populated areas of the municipality well enough to be at the scene of a report within a maximum of five minutes, but he admitted the department needs at least four more pickups and another six motorcycles to speed up the response.

Most attention would paid to the San Miguel neighborhood: “Drugs are consumed there and drugs are sold as is the case everywhere, and I am placing my hopes on prevention”. He said that the state government has offered to provide at least two units in which the municipality must invest as at the moment there are no funds.

• The foreign population may dwindle

The murder of the foreign couple in Chapala and the international publicity arising from the fact that one of the victims was the Canadian writer Nina Discombe may cause a slackening in the migration of foreigners to the Chapala area, opined Jorge Durand, anthropological researcher at the University of Guadalajara: “This affects the plans of migrants who come to Mexico seeking peace and quiet. They are older people and the last thing they expected is to be assaulted and killed”.

But it is not just this segment--U. S. citizens, Canadians and other foreigners who come to Chapala and Ajijic and who are generally retirees who want to spend time in a tranquil and relaxing place--that would be affected, as the likelihood cannot be dismissed that current residents will decide to abandon their domiciles and return to their native countries: “It is obvious that the number of people arriving is going to drop off, this is going to affect house sales. Prices are going to go down because a theft is not the same as a crime of this magnitude”.

The researcher pointed out that one hindrance is the lack of professionalism of the Municipal Police, which can cause acts of this sort to be repeated. For this reason attention should be paid to training the force but he does not believe this is being done.

Durand clarified that this incident should not have repercussions upon tourism in the rest of the state since the sector that was directly affected was foreigners and residents of Chapala.

• Justice in two languages

Resident foreigners see shortcomings in the Public Ministry

Carolina Jean Wood, a foreign resident of Chapala, went to the Municipal Police headquarters to ask for help as a thief was persistently stealing from her in her residence, to the extent that she could no longer sleep. An interpreter accompanied her. They explained to the officers that the woman changed residences a couple of times and that the subject still found the way to get into the place and resumed stealing.

The officers understood little of what the woman said. They told the interpreter that when that happened to call the headquarters, but when she did the officer on duty did not understand her, besides which there was little chance to speak over the telephone with a thief in the residence. That was when the officers suggested that she place a complaint. She responded that she had already done so but that the paperwork at the Public Ministry was backlogged and the subject had not been apprehended, to the anguish and desperation of the woman.

This illustrates one of the grievances of the residents of Chapala and its Ajijic district: the excessive paperwork and bureaucracy that produce few results with respect to the arrest of criminals after the filing of complaints, especially by foreigners who cannot understand the Mexican justice system.

Spencer McMullen, of the Chapala Law firm, warned that legal realities in Mexico and what he has seen in Chapala make impunity for criminals likely: “Many foreigners do not understand the system here in Mexico. Here the police exist to prevent crime and if the crime has already occurred you must file a complaint with the 'Procu' and bring an interpreter with you. Many foreigners and Mexicans as well are discouraged knowing that a complaint languishes for months and months after one has spent hours at the 'Procu' and been asked for 'facturas' [invoices], something that does not exist in the United States or Canada. Many people get fed up with the convolutions in following their case". And of the criminals who are apprehended, it is estimated that 98% go free and only the remained are sentenced to custody.

Clemente Serratos Galindo, manager of the Neighborhood Residents' Association in the La Floresta subdivision, agreed with the views expressed by McMullen. He said he has attended to numerous residents who complain about the attention authorities devote to their demands: “The government should pay more attention to following through on complaints, to making the complaint process simpler”. As to patrols and civic safety, he believed that the response is satisfactory since the units arrive within a few minutes.

Serratos admitted that after the deaths of Linda Marian Discombe and her husband Edward J. Kular concerned foreign residents called the offices but there were fewer than five calls. After the quick arrest of the suspects he has not had to attend to any more people and he stated that they are remaining calm and understand that this was an isolated incident as nothing like it had ever happened before during the existence of the subdivision.

Meanwhile, Jean Wood was personally attended to by the Chapala Police Chief, who assured her that he will resolve the problem of the insistent thief who was the subject of the complaint.

Thank you for taking the time to do the interpretation, Ricardo.

Seventyseven wrote: Many working class Mexicans sell drugs on the side.

Bull shit.

"Wow, some of these small towns have insane murder rates. 25 a year in a town with less than 50,000 people??"

"Sacramento is fairly large city (With an estimated 2011 population of 477,892, it is the sixth-largest city in California according to Wikipedia), I don't think it compares.  Of course a big city will have a larger "per 100,000" ratio than a city with barely 50,000 including Ajijic, Chapala and points in between.  And a "low crime area" will be easier to find.  And we are only talking about the murders we know about."

"You could probably find that Detroit or Baltimore has a higher murder rate, but do you seriously want to compare them to this little village?[/quote]"



As was pointed out....this area is definitely within the proximity and sphere of the Guad. Metropolitan Area (less than 30 min. to El Salto or Tlajomulco, with a popularion of 5 to 7 million people, and not some little Shang-ri-la hidden in the mountains of Tibet. Every weekend, and especially puentes, thousands of these "neighbors" descend upon us (our little village   )  

Get real....this is the second most populated area in Mexico.

Seventyseven wrote:....if these two Floresta victims were Mexican...

viajero, I think you were spot on in your other post about a previous identity. The use of caps and "almost English" sentences is an attempt to throw us off. The obsession with crime, and dropping the "La" from La Floresta were signatures.

Well done.

slainte39 wrote:
As was pointed out....this area is definitely within the proximity and sphere of the Guad. Metropolitan Area (less than 30 min. to El Salto or Tlajomulco, with a popularion of 5 to 7 million people, and not some little Shang-ri-la hidden in the mountains of Tibet. Every weekend, and especially puentes, thousands of these "neighbors" descend upon us (our little village   )  

Get real....this is the second most populated area in Mexico.

So, what you're saying is, you're OK with the crime in Chapala?

viajero wrote:

Seventyseven wrote: Many working class Mexicans sell drugs on the side.

Bull shit.

¿Do you not consider taxi drivers as working class?

viajero wrote:

Seventyseven wrote: Many working class Mexicans sell drugs on the side.

Bull shit.

They are decent folks, and it is part time. A cab driver was shot in Chapala 2 years ago. He told his wife he was going to stop when he paid some bills. It was too late for him. The men who rent the horses also sold drugs, that is why one was killed. You do not live in Chapala, you can not say it is not true.

Viajero, I think you are spot on.....gotta be susan!  

So obvious now.

Put down your stir-stick, no one is OK with it.  Slainte's point is well taken.  Even the Commandante blames most of the crime on outsiders from "the big city."