Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Larry J. Pitman

It happened in Melbourne, Australia.
It happened in Bakersfield, California.
Now it has happened in Lima. But here it was different.
Robbers broke into my car.

Add to del.icio.us |

Larry,

Congratulations! You're now one of us--a member of the club of people who live in Lima and have had their car vandalized/robbed. We were only here a couple of weeks before our mirrors were stollen. I agree with you, though, that it is not just a Lima thing. We used to do ministry in the inner city of Cincinnati. Getting your car broken into was so common, that we used to say it was a requirement for leadership in our campus ministry. I've experienced being robbed in Cincinnati and in Lima, and I love them both!

Is a sad thing that has being happening on Lima for a while now. As you said lines before, it happens everywhere in the world.
Big city = crimes, but the saddest part is that nobody do anything to help solve this things. The policemen are the worst, they know exactly who are the people that makes this crimes as at what time are this robberies are going on but won't do anything about it.
I tried once to stop a robbery taking place in front of the place I work and till this day I am still being bother by this police patrols and the pirañas that live near the area.

I have the same point of view of Milissa. If the autorities know already who, when and where the robberies are and take actions. Why they won´t do anythings in order to stop ?.  maybe we have the same kind of autorities every where too.

Yes, I'been robbed in Lima , two guys came on a motorcicle stole my purse and almost broke my hand and also another time the taxi driver stole my video camera.
Yes , it's a Lima clasic now, it wasn't like this not too long ago, Lima was one of the safest and peaceful cities, there was people walking very late and nothing ever happened before.
it's sad.

Yep, some areas of Lima actually have Police that at least try to do their jobs.  Most areas do not.  And outside of Lima it is much worse.  I guess you were 'lucky' this time in that the police actually came to your house.  The insurance companies seem to be a lot more responsive than the police in my experience.

I wish I had the ability to live in one of the safest areas in Lima, but unfortunately I do not.  The police in Arequipa are really lazy and incompetent.  They are also massively understaffed.  Many of the stations only have a single car.  So if it is out doing something, they will just tell you 'too bad, our only car is going to be busy for the next few hours'.  Unless there is a murder, kidnapping, or serious assault, they will normally not even take down an incident report. 

There are of course exceptions.  A friend of mine was taken in a taxi and robbed and dropped in the middle of no where.  He was able to ID the thieves in the police station and they made the arrests a few days later.  So it is definently worth reporting issues like this.  Just don't do it with any expectation that the cops will even care about what happened. 

A classic and a tradition...the best thiefs come from Peru.The only form of defense is NOT to "advertize" what you own in your car or home.Get familiar and purchase a "defense mechanism"for your goods,ei:alarms,locks,garage,lighted areas or gated communities.Corruption runs on any goverment,including the police dpt. Or they get a piece of the pie from the thiefs or they just can't legitimate help you for lack of resources or given priorities from above. The point is,we are alone on this! IF YOU CAN'T prevent it,we will be replacing our stolen items...at a quoted price by your insurance company....No matter what,we loose!
And,how do we stop it from happening again?...read this article one more time. 

I know that Mapfre does not cover any of the loose items in your car if they are stolen.  It only covers the A/V system like radio and such.  But if you have a case of CDs, an IPoD, or laptop, etc in your car (even in the trunk) they will not cover it and you won't be reimbursed for it.

Does anyone know of a car insurance company here in Peru that does cover loose items in your car (even if only those in the trunk/glove compartment/etc)??

It is interesting that they steal the radio, in many cases they are worth less than $100. It is largely an effect of having so many poor people in Lima. I remember in the 1980s and 90s my relatives would mostly want to prevent their headlamps from being stolen. One time in 2002 when visiting my uncle, my cousin had bought a BMW emblem because the one on my aunt's trunk had being stolen.

Are there still those stalls in some neighborhoods where homeowners pay some person to just watch the street all the time? My family called them "wachiman".

Yes, there are lots of 'wachiman' in Peru.  If you don't pay them, regularly, they will do exactly what the name says 'Watch'.  They will watch the thieves enter your house, steal TVs and other things, then walk down the street.  Then when asked for information, they will only list the things that they saw stolen, but not provide any helpful information about the thieves.

This is what I have experienced personally because my landlord did not pay the 'wachiman'.  He now pays, but so far we haven't seen any event where he actually DID something other than watch.

I really feel for the poor people of Peru,but that doesn't excuse the thiefs from entering your home or car...it is a crime! I guess,if we can affort to buy it "twice",let them steal it. Otherwiswe,get an alarm installed even in your home. Or get a "mean" dog to tear the thief apart or to bark loud and long.....Hopefully,this will get the thiefs and the "wachiman" to run "together" down the street.
How much does the "wachiman" gets paid....to risk his life?? I think an alarm will wake up the neighbors and defuse the thiefs intentions.

A lot of neighbors in Peru don't look outside if there is trouble.  Or they do so very carefully.  Because they are afraid that if the theives/murderers see them, then they could be targeted or harassed by them.  Many Peruvians, specially in Lima, still remember the days when bombs were going off in the streets and the gov't was hauling people off to prison if they looked at a cop the wrong way.  Most would rather protect themselves than take a risk on 'seeing something' that might help a neighbor. 

I've been told many times here (after hearing gun shots or fights) to get away from the window and not let anyone see me, etc.

Just as a bomb detonates,loud and scary,people will run away from the site.That's the same reaction a thief will get from a loud alarm...(in your car or in your home).
I'm not going to expect anyone to be a hero by confronting a "situation". But,it's time to stop "looking the other way" when crime happens...Somehow,we have to prevent it from taking place! The thiefs can go to another neighborhood;but,on my street,"we will stop you!!"
Prevention and awareness is the name of the game! If they are going to target your neighborhood......make it HARD from happening! Hopefully,we will not have to deal with the cops or insurance agents later.Or, as i call it:"The brain damage".

I am Peruvian and like anyone in any cosmopolitan city has been  a victim of crime in my home city....Lima.

Larry, I admire your kindness for you can recognize that after all, a nasty experience turned out with a good, positive learning experience.

I have to recognize that not even myself would admit that living in Lima is nice and comfortable.... at times.

Thanks for being someone who can see those Peruvian aspects of our contradictory society.

Carmen. 

Larry,
 As a Peruvian, i can thank you for your positive comments about this issue. Getting robbed here in Lima, Peru is very common, you can't never be too carefull when it comes to this matter.
Also, insurance companies are improving their services and police men are reacting to solve crime/robbery or similar in a more efficent way and making people (we peruvians and foreigners) feel safe.
Again thanks for your comments
LFG.

I really sorry about the situations that you live in Lima. Let us tell you that you were very "lucky" to find people that helped you.
We wish more peruvian have tha same actitud and luck as you. 

Larry,
It is very admirable that you see all the positive aspect in such an unconfortable esperience.
It is of common knowledge that not in all Lima distrits you will receive that kind of help ... that is something that must be changed.
Let say that is not a Lima classic, it is a world classic.

Larry,
I am really sorry that you had had to live these kinds of experience, but as you said ,it happens everywhere even in the best places in the world.
I admired from you how you had taken this incident .... most of people who had these experiences ,actually talk bad about everything that it is related to the incident .
Well everything has a good and bad side (your bad side was worse ), it helped you to see how peruvian people is when it tries to help someone in trouble and even if you had passed a bad experience in our country (because I am peruvian) , you had realized that we are not like people in other part of the world , we are helpful and like to response in a positive way to these kind of things , i want to thank you how you reacted to that incident in my country and focused in the positives thingsTHANKS.

Larry,
I am really sorry about your bad experience in Lima, because these things always happen here, but it is good to know that you found people who help you how to manage this situation, so, it was not bad at all, you could see the positive aspects of peruvian people when someone is in a trouble.

Warning !!...the price of gas is climing fast!...Do you think they'll syphon it from your car's gas tank...? I'll bet money they'll figure a way and a time to do it....Get ready,get prepared....to avoid it!! The insurance co. will not be able to help you with this one.
It helps and feels good that neighbors and family sympathize with the victims after a robbery,but.....what about NEXT TIME?
Let's show those people that were nice to us, that we have learned the lesson,and that would be "a Lima classic"!!!!!!!!

Larry, I am really sorry about this bad experience, but as many people have said, it happens anywhere.

It is good to know that you were around people that in that moment acted really nice and also care about the situation you were dealing with. You was really lucky!

Larry;

i'm really sorry about your experience in our country but sadly just like you said it's a Lima classic , and probably it will be always the same, but in the other hand you can find like in you history good and helpful people .
also let me tell you that i admire your positive point of view , i m sure that everybody would like to see the bad thigs with other eyes like you.

Larry,

Your story is no surprise, and it happens every day in Lima.  The thieves in Lima are so brazen, I've had things taken off my vehicle while I was in it and stopped in traffic.  I've never seen anything like Lima anywhere.

Just keep valuables out of sight, and make sure someone is watching your vehicle at all times.  Many in Peru are desperately poor, and when you have children going hungry, and no other way out, crime is the answer.

Hi, Larry I am very surprised with your story because, here as you have probably noticed ,it is very strange that policemen pay attention to robbery cases so diligently. 

As a conclusion, I can say that you are a blessed person, luck doesnt exist but reward to your good deeds in the past!

Carmen, just for clarification, Lima is not exactly what the rest of the world would call "cosmopolitan."

I will never understand why residents of Lima (a big sprawling ugly mess) think of it as some kind of world class city.

larry! 

well i'm sorry about your history, i hate that things of Lima. 

and we can see it in all the district thats why we have to be carefull, i think that we will find this kind of people in every part of the world but sadly here you are going to find more, but i know that only here you will find good persons like that man who helped you, and always with a smile in the face, even when something bad happends.