Property security

Very interesting you notice this. We are moving to Mauritius by summer next year and have been reading such "measures of saefty" everywhere on internet.

I therefore have a similar question - How safe is Mauritius with respect to personal safety and safety of houses in general? Especially at night, more or less after 7pm?

Extraordinarily safe and top rated by the CIA web base.  Petty theft will happen if you leave your wallet on the beach but mugging, violence and anything extreme is amazingly rare.  I have had no problems at all in 12 years or felt in the least bit threatened at any time. Quite the opposite.   What you are witnessing I suspect are the many South African owners or operators who come to live here and have not surprisingly brought that culture of fear with them.  Mugging, rape and theft are often accompanied with the murder of the victim so one can fully understand their initial terror.  The lovely South Africans I know have taken up to five years to rinse the terror and security obsession from their mindsets.  It does tend to be their houses and businesses that employ razor and electrical wires.  It is not necessary.  However I sympathise with every one of them.  If you lived with Armed Response pinned to your fortress in SA then you too would take a while to relax. 

My family & locals tell me that burglars are mostly drug addicts - Mauritius has a big drug problem. I live in a local Mauritian area as I am Mauritian & Australian. My family, friends & even neighbours have warned me about being broken into & walking alone in certain areas. One neighbour even said that anyone living alone is a target for burglars. I am cautious & I have not had any issues in 10 months. I have heard about people being robbed but these could be stories of old. Apparently, cameras & dogs are the best deterrents - which is why most people in local areas have several dogs. The wires on top of fencing here are not active electrical wires & mostly to deter the strays. I think there is a general paranoia around being broken into, but the paranoia & ensuing extra security measures seems to prevent crimes. Also, it is important to know your neighbours & those around you. I say bonjour & chat with neighbours I know as well as the 'supposed' bad people/druggies around my area.   

I moved here mid May, 2022. Have had robbed 5 times already. My new neighbor has had the same problem. Now he installed alarm and pay monthly security fee (I intend to believe that is kind of bribe, once you stop paying, someone will come to shop your home). I'm doing what you observed, having stainless steel fencing and barbwire. Apart from that, I also installed stainless steel accordion over windows and doors. I know how I turned my house looks like - prison. In my opinion, it is better to strengthen security measures than regrets after your things got stolen. I also know if there is a will, there is a way. Just making it as hard for the thieves would ease my mind than worrying each time I travel.

Mauritian born and living in France now for 43 years. Thinking of retiring on the island. Been reading the comments on expat.com for a while now. I am thinking seriously of changing my mind and staying in France. Things have changed a lot since i left the island. Security for me is essential to live a peaceful retirement.

Mauritian born , lived in South Africa for 54 years, retired 4 months ago on the island .

The security threats are grossly exaggerated and depends on where and how you live . 

I live in a house in the North and feel extremely safe . We walk around a lot without any problems.

Obvious ly if you go walking around on your own late at night in isolated areas then you are asking for trouble . There is mostly petty crime in Mauritius

@Pandora At Dodoland Out of curiosity, may I enquire which part of the Island you are living in?

Thanks everyone for your generous replies. After going through all your messages I believe that it is really a matter of where you are living  and how  cautious  you are of your surroundings.

We are planning to live in the city of Vacaos. From what I hear it is the most populated city in Mauritius and probably a safe one.

Does anyone know how to safe this city is?

@lejekan

North of the island. I almost never go out. People who stole from me are friends of those who worked in my house. They took my brand new tv and sound bar, which is ok, I can live without watching TV here. But they took an old aluminum ladder, which is sentimental to me. I called the police. They did absolutely nothing. You maybe lucky never got robbed, but you don't want to leave your front door open while you are in the bathroom. My cousin got his phone stolen while he was doing his business in the toilet. I do not see why not take good security measures living in this island. Touch wood I never got robbed when I was living in HK. I never need to double check if I locked my door at night. People there has much higher quality than here.

I am reading this with interest. I currently live in South Africa used to crime and constantly locking things away. I guess I will have to carry on doing this in Mauritius for a while. I plan to live in Ebene or surrounds. I hope it is safe there. Billy

Hi to all expat, I was born in Mauritius but lived most of life in the UK. I made the same mistake of thinking of moving back to Mauritius which I did and I regret it now but I have now returned back to the UK with all the peace and comfort of knowing that I don't have to look over my shoulder. Mauritius is not what it used to be, in the days of my youth the island was safe where everybody look after each other and you could literally sleep with your door wide open but not now as it's evident from the opinion listed. I have waisted 20years of my life trying to establish myself back in Mauritius and have lost financially and emotionally. I cannot remember the amount of times I have been burgled and all this through people who tries to get very close to you as they know all of your plans and intentions, I know as I have tried to fight this for many years. So if you do decide to move to Mauritius be prepared to lose what you have and why would you leave you supposed secure place to establish yourself into a prison enclosing yourself instead of living free, not to mention the cost of installing all these security. It's all great at the start but as time goes on you realise that there is a price to pay for that heat and sunshine.

@longbb8 it is safe here , especially compared to SA .

In the nearly 5 months that I have lived here , I have never once felt threatened or uncomfortable in any way .

Although I have occasionally read about it on social media, I have never met anyone who has been robbed or assaulted or anything similar .

i think it is all about where you live,who you mix with and what your lifestyle is .

Very important topic for expats.  Safety and tolerance / aversion to crime is very subjective.  I visit Mauritius almost every year and I hear from everyone living there that there are frequent occurrences of petty theft.  Strangers walking into your yard to harvest your "letchi", mangoes, or other fruits are common.  Often the offender is someone in your neighborhood. 

Unlike in developed countries, trespassing in this way and taking what is rightfully yours is not considered a crime - it's considered "community sharing".

A long while ago, I found out that the best way to avoid those awkward situations is to not have anything valuable visible from outside.  No fruit trees or display of lavishness - even if this is what you are used to those in your first-world home.

If you don't want to be robbed, don't keep or display things that others would covet.

Mauritius is very safe and it is very unlikely that you will be gunned down or stabbed.  However, if you mix with the wrong people (drugs etc.) and if you display things that are desirable and can easiliy be re-sold, you can become an easy target.

All expats should be vigilant and pay attention to their environment at all times.  Mauritius is safe to live but it's a different environment than a first-world country.  Just need to adjust and do what the locals do. 

For me, this is the reason that I want to experience living in a different country - to live like the locals.

Alarm, security bars, cameras are good deterrents. But I think best security is a WELL TRAINED DOG within a fully fenced yard. 

    Alarm, security bars, cameras are good deterrents. But I think best security is a WELL TRAINED DOG within a fully fenced yard. 
   

    -@AussieInMauritius

And aggressive one too.  This helps in any country.

Good catch @AussieInMauritius.

@Pablo888 Yes, you can get a stray 'Maricien' dog from PAWS for an adoption fee of 300 r. There are trainers here but Youtube is just as good. Train your dog not to eat until you tell them to eat so they don't get poisoned. Don't let them roam the streets, so they know their home as their only territory. Don't suppress their natural instinct to bark when someone or something is close by. Make sure the dog knows you as the head of the pack. It only takes about 10 minutes of training a day & then basic commands throughout the day to make a guard dog.

Thanks everyone who commented - what fascinating stories. As I said, I felt very safe in Mauritius as a visitor, but maybe it would seem different if I was resident - but then again, maybe not, as the general consensus seems to be there is little danger, at least to person, if not to property.

I'm wondering if maybe the emphasis on walls and gates around even modest houses is as much a desire for privacy as for protection? Maybe this reflects the Mauritian character. In nearby Seychelles, walls around properties are very unusual, gates hardly exist, and I don't think I saw a single instance of razor wire and certainly no electric fencing. Most houses can be approached openly from all sides. There's plenty of petty crime, though, and a similarly serious drug problem. At one Seychelles guesthouse I stayed at my wife and I were asleep when I was woken by the noise of the door to our room being unlocked from within. It turned out someone had entered through our broken bathroom window, filched the contents of my wife's purse from beside her pillow as we slept, and exited through the door, unlocking it as they went. The guesthouse owner seemed unperturbed but I could certainly have used some electric fencing after that as I barely slept for the rest of our stay.

When I last visited, several years ago, property security on neighbouring La Reunion seemed more like Seychelles than Mauritius, with houses generally being open to the world. No razor wire or electric fencing, occasional walls, very few Mauritian style gates. Plenty of dogs, but usually chained.

My abiding memories of Mauritius are the exquisite blue of the sea, lovely beaches, stunning flowers, stupendous views, vibrant towns, sleepy villages, frantic roads, ever present fruit stalls and snack shacks, an ebullient population, but dispiriting amounts of rubbish strewn around, too many unfinished houses, and an over abundance of industrial sized gates.

IRONIC - I CAME HOME TO MY FRONT DOOR WIDE OPEN

So right after my last post, I went to check out the new shopping centre in Goodlands for about 4 hours. I did not turn on cameras or alarm. I did not close all windows. I have bars but a skinny person might get through them. I locked door but did not lock security door. I left my dog inside. Everyone around including workers & neighbours saw me leave in car. So, either I did not lock door properly or dog learned how to open latch & therefore door or someone picked simple lock & opened door. Cat was hiding (which is odd) & dog was stressed & had lost his voice (which is odd) even though he gets a bit of separation anxiety. Nothing was moved or taken. So, if someone tried to get in, obviously they did not get past my doggy. So in regards to the best security being a WELL TRAINED DOG - I rest my case.   

@AussieInMauritius Could I please ask which city do you live in?

Because the more I am reading these type of stories, The more I am thinking if this security matter is really "city subjective" or is it "omnipresent" on the island?

From what I was thinking, the touristy part of the island (north and the west) should be quite safe, given the fact that there are many expats who live here. I am starting to think otherwise!!

So in regards to the best security being a WELL TRAINED DOG - I rest my case.   
   

    -@AussieInMauritius

Amen to that.  Dogs are also wonderful companions who give so much and demand so little.

I am still traumatized from the loss of my last 4 legged companion in Mauritius.  He wandered on the streets and got hit by a car.  He needed hip replacement surgery and during recovery, he got a gastric infection and died.

Keep your pets inside the property or away from the car traffic.

I was advised to get 2 dogs next time.  I think that this is wise.

@ishakapoor1995 I live in Grand Gaube local area because my parents were Mauritian. One of my neighbours yesterday explained to me that burglars tend to rob in opposite areas, to decrease the likelihood of them getting caught. Eg, those from south rob those from north & vice versa. Apparently, they even swap information. Areas where tourists are or expats live tend to have more security provided. But apparently in these areas it may be the staff themselves that rob people. We are focussing conversation on crime, but generally I don't think there is much crime. It happens like it does anywhere. Perhaps we hear more about it because it is a little island.

@Pablo888 Yes, I have always had dogs & animals in my life. I had 2 dogs at once & 3 dogs at once. The problem with several dogs is that they are then harder to train. Also, one may become alpha dog which leaves you as a slave lol. They will compete more for food, attention, etc. If there are 2 males they tend to fight. Females are harder to train. If you get 2 dogs, I suggest a male & female - desexed. Sorry to hear about your dog, it is like losing a child & I feel you. I know it's off topic, but I see a lot of dogs dying from this diarrhoea, gastro thing here. Solution: give your dogs only clean water & keep them off the streets.

The more I am thinking if this security matter is really "city subjective" or is it "omnipresent" on the island?
    -@ishakapoor1995

@ishakapoor1995, IMHO, security depends on where you live and who lives around you. It's not "city subjective" as this is way too broad. In general, the island is very safe if you avoid the crime hot spots.  Every country has small areas to avoid.

Just as a point of comparison, here is a similar discussion thread on Brazil forum that I participate because I am planning a move there -> https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 2#5816059.

And even there, guard dogs are considered the best way to secure property. (@AussieInMauritius's point).

Bottomline, don't let the fear of more or less probable criminal activities prevent you from living and enjoying the beaches and the people.  Get a dog or share a dog with your neighbors and go on enjoying your life.

@Pablo888 Thanks a lot for the information. It is indeed reassuring to know that the island is safe overall, however we will be mindful to keep some security measures in check while we are there!

Trained dogs to me sound as the best safety measure so far!

Just noticed that I gave the wrong expat thread link.  The thread link that is relevant to security is here -> https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 2#5809550.

The thread link that I quoted before was related to crime - not security.  The attached link is on a discussion about security cameras - which is more on topic.

Apologies for sending the wrong link before.