Crime in Ecuador

Hello,

I was interested in your questions about crime here in (Cuenca) Ecuador.  We moved here one year ago from Jacksonville, Florida because of the high crime rate there, in a city of one millions people.  Here, I believe the crime rate to be something like 3%.

We are renting a lovely condo in a gated community East of Cuenca.  My husband and I are in our late 70s and we feel safer here by far, than we ever did in Jacksonville.  Cuenca is a city one half the size of where we came from.  We walk after 10pm downtown while coming home from concerts or just dining out with friends, and we have never had any problems.  Of course, you should not invite trouble ether.  Don't take dumb chances by walking on streets that have no street lights, and don't flash expensive jewelry or carry large amounts of cash.  But that is true anywhere you go..Paris, the USA, or Ecuador. 

Since everyone walks everywhere here, there are usually crowds of laughing people everywhere you go.  I don't think I have ever lived anywhere where the locals were so friendly and eager to welcome you to this beautiful city of Cuenca.  And they seem to look out for you wherever you go. 

Dangerous here?  Absolutely not.  You are probably safer here than most anywhere you could live in the world.  And too, there are policemen out on the streets walking and watching out over you. Don't get me wrong, they are not there to watch you, and we have never been stopped to show any identification nor for any other reason. You will, most likely , get a big smile from them and then they will  go on their way. 

As far as we are concerned, Cuenca is a "safe haven".  We have more friends here; both locals and expats, than we ever had in Florida.  Ad you will too, when you move  here.

If you have any concerns, please email me at yankeeflyer with the number 28 after it at Hot mail dot com. 

Carole in Cuenca

I feel about 6 safe.  We have been in Quito for about 10 months.  Our neighborhood is not poor but not rich either.  We don't have a guard or locked gait, and I have not heard of any problems in our complex.  I don't want to jinx myself, but so far we have not been the victims of any crime.  The closest was an ineffective pickpocket on the Trolebus.  He was really bad at it and was very obvious, and when he saw me looking at his fingers in my pocket, he ran off the bus.  We walk most places or take the bus if it's too far.  We walk 3 miles a day to and from work.  We very rarely take taxis.  I have walked alone at night several times without incident.  Sometimes as late as 2 or as early as 4:30 in the morning.  I avoid areas that just don't feel right or cross the street if I see people who seem suspicious.  We have also traveled to several different places in Ecuador using the public buses, and I feel safe on them.  I think it helps my nerves that I don't own anything valuable, so there's nothing I have I don't mind losing. 

We have had friends who have been victims since we have been here though.  At around 10pm our friends were on Ave. Portugal in La Carolina waiting for a taxi, and three guys with guns pulled up and took their purse and iPod.  Another coworker was in a taxi and got robbed at a stoplight.  Another was in a taxi and two cars, one in front and one behind stopped the taxi and robbed the passengers. One couple we know have had their iPhones stolen from their pockets on separate occasions.  We keep our heads up, but if it's going to happen, it's going to happen.  No sense worrying about it too much.

I live by the coast in a beachtown named La Libertad. A commercially active town next to the resort town of Salinas. I score 9 out of 10 in sense of safety. I have been here for 1 1/2 years, living in a regular Ecuadorian middle class neighborhood. My neighbors look after me, we have a panic alarm in each house should be notice anything suspicious. I simply exercise common sense at all times. No valuables, no flashy cell phones (who needs them anyways!) and kindness with locals. I felt more unsafe back in southern Boston with the high rate of armed people in the US. Weather, access to healthy foods, the outdoor activities, the interaction with the locals, it all out weights the worries about a possible incidents. When I heard some pickpocketing was usually in a big city, no guns or life threatening situations.

Great thread and love the sense of humor!  Thanks Cowboy!

Awesome response from Carole (YankeeFlyer)   

Really appreciated reading the comments.  I'm a single woman who has traveled alone and backpacked in the Alaskan mountains solo so always looking out for myself, but it's good to have an idea of what challenges are present ANYWHERE you go.

EDIT:  BTW Captain Cowboy, I LOVE SQUAMISH....one of my favorite places in the world!  I rock climb and was there this summer, and drove up from Leavenworth, WA.

Good luck to you and your family!

Looking forward to reading more of your posts!