Residential Security

Crime prevention at home is its own unique area of security specialization. The well-being of those close to you cannot be over-emphasized. The more attention you give this issue now, the more capable you will be in preventing problems in the future. What follows is a summary of the most important precautions you need to take if your employer is not able to provide you with a professional to help you with residential security.

Before You Move In

Before you move in to your new place, it is important that you conduct a survey of potential security improvements you can make to your residence, whether it is an apartment or a house. Make a copy of the list below to assist you. If these improvements are found to be necessary, then your employer may be able to require the landlord to make them, preferably before the lease is signed. Alternatively, you could negotiate with the landlord if you are the direct tenant.

Ten Basic Precautions

These may include but are not limited to simple things such as:

1. Security lighting. This includes not only the house and its access points, but the building interior and front facade.
2. Physical barriers. Check that security bars on doors or windows are in good condition. Examine other deterrents to illegal entry that exist on the premises, including door and window locks.
3. Perimeter security, including the use of guards. A dog can be useful for additional intruder detection.
4. Communications. Whether in the form of a cellular phone, land line or radio, dependable communication is essential in the event of an emergency.
5. Alarms may be useful. However, they require continued maintenance and are not always reliable.
6. Property boundaries legally define the areas in residences or apartments that are yours to occupy as a tenant. Being aware of what is your leased property is important, especially when sharing common grounds with neighbors.
7. Parking is a very important consideration, especially in Mexico City. If you are moving into an apartment building, make sure you identify your assigned parking spaces and most importantly, make sure they are for your exclusive use. Assume you will be driving in and out at odd hours. Ask about accessibility.
8. Become familiar with your neighborhood. Identify your closest emergency services and make sure all family members know what to do and are familiar with dialing procedures to ask for medical assistance or police.
9. Make sure you establish your own simple rules for self-protection, such as keeping your drapes closed or leaving yard and perimeter lights on at night. Solenoid switches are available locally at a reasonable cost. These activate your lights at night and turn them off automatically when daylight appears.

Domestic Employees

This is an area that requires special attention in residential security. We recommend that you review our Domestic Help in Mexico article in the Living Section for more information.

When hiring domestic help, we recommend that, whether or not the employee comes from a reputable company or via a reliable friend, you ask for his/her date and place of birth, home address, telephone number, and the names of close relatives who you could call in case of an emergency. Also, insist that employees provide letters of recommendation that cover at least 5-7 years of prior work experience. Make sure that you call or write to the previous employers to confirm these references. Also, you should ask the people giving the references for suggestions on how to establish a good rapport with the employee.

Domestic employees will become a vital part of your family and, the better informed you are about their past, the more peace of mind you will have when you leave your family and property in their care. Treating them as a family member will facilitate this, so create the means for better communication. Tell them what you like and dislike and your policy on visitors. In your absence, they need input from you on how to react, and how to assist your children, in case of an emergency. They must have crime prevention in mind if your children are under their responsibility.

Rapport with the Community

Your neighbors will normally identify you as a foreigner by the way you look, talk or act. This is something that is most likely unavoidable. Becoming a messenger of good faith or a true diplomat, so to speak, will help you gain their understanding and support, which is especially important in case you need to be notified of an emergency. Get to know your street grocery store owner, laundry manager, local market vendor, building attendant, even the garbage collector. All of the above people represent possible sources of help should you ever need it. Mexicans are friendly and supportive to most expatriates. Use this to your advantage.

We also thoroughly recommend that you read through our Living Section and our Relocation Section.

By Mario Gonzalez-Roman, a retired Foreign Service National Security Advisor to the United States Embassy, currently a private Security Consultant, columnist at www.securitycornermexico.com

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