Given a recent surge in break-ins, which have become particularly prevalent in the Lake Chapala area, the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office (PGJEJ) has issued advice for state residents to help beat the burglars.
While some of these measures may seem extreme to those from north of the border, many are considered standard practice here in Mexico (bars on windows, for example). Other suggestions may seem obvious, but even the simplest of preventative measures can be surprisingly easy to forget.
Extra vigilance is recommended during the Christmas period, a time when break-ins can be more common than usual.
Here’s a list of some of the main points that Jalisco authorities say are important to be aware of.
- Install strong locks on the doors to your home.
- Secure all points of entry, such as skylights, windows, doors and fencing.
- Every day make sure all points of access to your home are securely locked.
- Whenever you leave the house, carefully close all points of entrance, even if just going out for a few minutes.
- If you lose the keys to your home, immediately change the lock or combination.
- Put padlocks on your gates to prevent easy access.
- Bar your windows if you can.
- If possible install alarms in your home.
- Install peepholes in your front door so you can easily identify those who knock.
- Avoid handing out spare sets of keys to anyone who does not live in the house.
- If you notice someone acting suspiciously outside your home, immediately report this to the police.
- Always demand identification from workers from phone companies, electricity, water, gas, cable, etc. Do not just let them in straight away.
- Do not open up to street sellers or supposed public services personnel that you have not invited.
- Ask for references when selecting a cleaner to hire.
- When storing jewelry, money or valuables, hide them yourself in a carefully chosen place inaccessible to your cleaning staff.
- Promote joint preventative measures with your neighbors; contribute to the neighborhood watch and warn them of any potential risks you notice.
- Discuss any perceived risks with your neighbors and if they ignore you, suggest solutions.
- Keep a dog – burglars don’t like them.
- If away for prolonged periods of time, do not leave house keys with anyone you do not trust well.
- If going on vacation, be discreet and avoid discussing this where others can hear.
- If away, make it look as if the house is not empty.
- Do not leave keys lying around the home where anyone can find them.
- Keep receipts for your furniture and possessions to aid quick and easy investigation in case of theft.
- Keep a directory of the phone numbers for the local police force close at hand in case of an emergency.
More tips
The Reporter thanks the PGJEJ for its list of tips, and we have added a few of our own, courtesy of Consumer magazine.
- If the entrances to your home are dark, consider installing lighting with an infrared detector. Most thieves don’t want to be observed trying to get in a door.
- Change all the locks and tumblers when you move into a new house.
- Plan to “burglarize” yourself. You’ll discover any weaknesses in your security system that may have previously escaped your notice.
- A spring-latch lock is easy prey for burglars who are “loiding” experts. Loiding is the method of slipping a plastic credit card against the latch tongue to depress it and unlock the door. A deadbolt defies any such attack. It is only vulnerable when there is enough space between the door and its frame to allow an intruder to use power tools or a hacksaw.
- A door with too much space between the door and the frame is an invitation for the burglar to use a jimmy. Reinforce the door with a panel of 3/4-inch plywood or a piece of sheet metal.
- Your house should appear occupied at all times. Use timers to switch lights and radios on and off when you’re not at home.