Crime in Cancun

I have had some issues here, but nothing close to when living in Australia.

In two years living in the same flat:

*3 attempted rapes (since August 2009)

*3 stabbings(failed robberies...)

*4 random assaults

*4 break ins in our building, one which resulted in fairly near death(and rape..) for our young girl who manages the flats...

*Pet killers(a.k.a. Psychos)

*Been attacked by 3 guys with baseball bats and rocks(!!) when asked them to "please turn down the volume of your car stereo"... Blasting shitty banda at 4 am, waking up the ENTIRE neighborhood. Oh yeah, cops arrived and told me to "go home and go to sleep".

These are events that comes to mind as Im writing them, and they are also the ones I can confirm(dont know how many other that I havent heard of, if any.)

Now, I am the type of dude who actually runs outside, be it 5pm or 5 am, when/if I hear someone screaming.

I usually bring our Pit-mix, plus a wooden stick(hard as h*ll).

The lights in our park are non-functioning since many many months back(yes, have called and sent photos to the Municipal...), so I guess this gives all the rejects the much needed protection when cooking up nasty plans.

The worst thing however are the cops.

Dont know how many times they have stolen money, mp3 players, dvds, beer(!!) and considered to take my mobile, only to discover that its one of the cheapest Nokias around

THIS is what disturbs me the most. I have very little respect for the police force as a whole, but Mexico really takes the price(Thailand police at least arrived when you called them, hahaha.)

This is obviously linked to the massive corruption that just keeps eating away on a amazing country like Mexico is(would be without the corruption...)

Back home in Sweden I rarely had any incidents, but one thing I am yet to discover here is the "drunk violence". I am amazed that I havent witnessed any serious fights when put partying, completely the contrary to Sweden, most European countries I have stayed in and Australia.

One of my Mexican neighbors says: "Why fight when you go out to get drunk?" I dont have an answer to that... sadly.

He also says that "In Mexico, nobody wants to be taken in by the cops.." - That could explain a few things, hehe

 

Well in Cancun & Mexico in general the crime rate is quite high, The newspapers here don't really help hiding it since they like to exaggerate a lot to sell more, especially ones like "de Peso" or "La i", Just two weeks ago my building was the target of a Stupid Albañil Ratero who tried to steal copper pipes at noon, he was unsuccessful this time and left his stash behind since he was chased off. Later i found out he succesfully stole the pipes of the neighboring building & two days later of another house at 5am.

 

I usually yell "Quite down you darn Canadians!" when that happens.

& you'd be surprised how often it is Canadians adding to the "ugly American" stereotype.

PS: to any offended Canadians I refer you to the above statements. :icon_mrgreen:

 

I'll admit that I don't read the paper much here, but thats because they are literately filled with graphic smut almost everyday of the week. I've said on many occasions that I'd rather my children have a playboy than a local newspaper! You wonder why people here seem more oblivious to the violence.. its because from the earliest of ages they see decapitated, castrated, disembowel, dismembered, naked, dead bodies, up close and personal, in full color pictures on the FRONT of the newspapers! I mean WTF is that? Can you not report the story without such disgustingly obscene pictures taken from inches away? If I read/saw that stuff everyday I would probably think this was the worst place in the world too and would definitely lose some respect for the value human life seeing bodies reduced to mangled chunks of rotting flesh everyday. In short.. the US press is bad... the press here is disgusting and bad.

I do think I have a general handle on what dangers there are here and agree with the "if you stay out of it" crowd. There are murders, accidents, and gang/mafia violence everyday in any city this size, the difference here, and part of what may make it seem more dangerous to some is the way it is reported in graphic detail.

 

I have to say that this is exactly where i am at also. I began reading the local papers (well, I read SIPSE) after Rolly had his little drug war in Lerdo. I don't know if you read Rolly, but I love the guy. Anyway, I started mainly to better my Spanish (I can't write Spanish to save my life) and then we had the murdering pedophile and the attack on the RVers in Mazatlan and boy, shit keeps happening.

It isn't as bad (crime) as where we left (SF Bay area) but it is definitely something I think about (living next to a deserted beach) and consider, perhaps too much. I don't think I've swung completely from ignorant to "it's AWFUL" but I''m definitely not in the middle either.

Crime is definitely on the upswing and it "feels" so much dirtier over here than Merida.

 

I'll never forget my first (hey! my ONLY) 10K in Merida. It was 7am, there were only about 300 of us and it was quiet like I never imagined could be possible in the middle of a gigantic city. We were all running down deserted streets, the sky was grey and overcast, birds were quiet, buses were stopped, all we could hear was our breathing and our footfalls. As we passed the Hilton a group of 4 DRUNK (they could ONLY be Americans) stumbled onto the sidewalk yelling and berating each other. It was such a sharp contrast to the beauty of the silent run it was jarring.

 

I have lived in Cancun since 94, I am not Mexican but am often thought to be one. During all my time here i have been Mugged Twice & got my car broken into. I Still consider Cancun to be a Safe place assuming you have common sense.

The first time someone tried to Mug me i was using a public phone at maybe 4pm when two young guys on a bike come to a sudden stop and threaten a friend & i, that they will use a knife on us if we don,t hand over our belonging, my friend gave up his watch instantly and i hesitated making one of the muggers grab me by the shirt and without thinking i shoved him back & took a step back, Luckily i saw a taxi passing & was able to stop him and the two muggers fled. This happened right outside a place that used to be called "La Rocopista" (indoor skating place) & is now a school roughly in front of Mega Comercial Mexicana in Pedregal del Bosque.

The Second Time i got mugged i wasn`t so lucky, i was leaving my 7pm Hapkido Class (maybe a month after i joined) in Calle Fuego (street that is right infront of Plaza de Toros), i wanted to cross the park to get home i passed three guys who all were much taller than i was, then suddenly i hear something & i don`t really know what happend next but i ended up with one of them bear hugging me from behind covering my mouth so i wouldn`t call for help while another one was trying to take my messenger bag with my things from me & the remaining guy was shouting "prestame 5 pesos" so anyone who looked out their window would think we were just playing rough... I Managed to hold on to my bag for what i think was almost a minute and got in a few kicks to the guy who was trying to get my bag but had to give it up since i needed to get loose from the guy covering my airways. as soon as i let go of the bag they ran into the park & disappeared. I tried to chase but was exhausted and i am really that fast & was gasping for breath. Lost a new cellphone, 300 pesos, a jacket, wallet, keys, my white belt. No permanent damage was done just got angry for losing the stuff.

Its been a couple of years since the muggings and I firmly believe Cancun is a Safe place to live in assuming you have common sense.

oh and someone broke into my car at COSTCO & stole my stereo!!! I am still without tunes & my singing is still really bad.