Break Ins In Chiang Mai?

[oljkt]

I am currently living Phuket and my home was just broken into. This seems to be a regular occurrence based on the uneven distribution of wealth in Phuket. I am wondering if this is the same in Chiang Mai? Is it common for expats to be targeted, whether their home or just their wallets while out for the evening. Any information anyone can give regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated. I am not a rich expat, but actually a young mom married to a Thai man. I don't believe we had anything worth stealing, but I am still saddened that this is a reality in the place I call home.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Sorry to hear that.

I know some people experienced break-ins in Chiang Mai as well. I think it depends the most on the immediate area, not so much the province. This can be either through support in the neighbourhood, or through formal security through a housing compound. I think a combination of both is good.

Of course if you're thinking of moving, there's a lot more that enters into it than 'chance of break-in', which is small to moderate just about anywhere. Why not come over for an extended stay and see what it feels like? Often perceived security and feeling at ease, safe and comfortable is as important as statistics, if not more so.

What is true is that Phuket, like Pattaya and Samui has a HUGE amount of migrants from poorer parts of the country, as well as the inevitable fortune seekers, hustlers, scammers and criminals. While people migrate to Chiang Mai as well, I think it is more from the region, and Chiang Mai is a bigger place overall compared to the beach destinations. In Phuket or Pattaya I bet you can go for days without ever meeting someone who was actually born there. (Being from an area implies having family/social support & a degree of social/family control). In Chiang Mai that is indeed different.

However, if you live in one of the beach resort areas of Phuket, another alternative might actually be to move WITHIN the province, for example somewhere near Phuket Town, or in the countryside of Phuket. The social structures there will be a lot more like the rest of Thailand compared to the beaches.

Edited July 8, 2008 by WinnieTheKhwai

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Hm, not much response other than mine.

[Steve2UK]

My take is that Chiang Mai is generally way safer than a resort-type place like Phuket - at least partly for the reasons that WTK suggests and also because of there being fewer farang transients here as well as fewer Thai "outsiders". So, it does seem to make a difference that CM is largely a more settled and quieter place than Phuket, Pattaya etc; in the tourist areas, there might be somewhat more of the issue you describe e.g. a bag-snatcher - but, anecdotally, it does seem seem very limited here.

When I first contemplated moving to Thailand, I certainly thought about whether I would be a "target" - given that nearly all farang have more money/possessions than the average Thai. I just adopted the same approach as I did during decades of living in inner-city London - a] get to to know your neighbours and let them get to know you and b] adopt basic precautions that will generally keep you and your home 99% safe. My personal choice is to not live in a gated moobaan or condo with security - I prefer to live in an ordinary (rented) house in a quiet lane on the edge of the city. That said, I chose it partly because it has a full-height wall around the large garden which makes it very private (important to me). I did decide to fit security lights on the house (PIR units that switch on when something moves through the sensor beam) - partly for convenience but also to act as a deterrent in the unlikely event that someone did decide to climb over the wall; the whole deal cost less than 4,000 baht. By comparison, Chiang Mai has no shortage of Thai (multi-) millionaire-owned houses - some of them being holiday/weekend homes of the BKK pooyai. Those places have serious security - very high walls and no shortage of lights, dogs and staff. One suspects that they have rather more to protect and worry about than the likes of us.

When I lived in a more open Thai-style wood house last year, I still felt very secure. Really the only thing that went through my mind there was that a couple of late-night drunks might take it into their heads to wander in and look around out of curiosity - it never happened .

I sympathise with how you must feel about your home being violated - it happened to my mother who lived alone in London and it's a bad feeling that takes some time to go away........ but it will. All in all, what happened to you in your Phuket home can, of course, happen just about anywhere - but I'd say it feels much less likely here in CM.

[CMMCB]

Just had a visit from a woman who used to clean our house, warning me of burglaries in our area of CM - between Wat Jed Yod and Chang Puak police station. Someone broke into her new employer's house (Thais) last night by cutting through the window bars (if I understood correctly).

We've had two break-ins in our house here in the last 21 years, but no problem in the last decade.

CMMCB

[Flapman]

The Chiang Mai Mail has in the past reported some bag-snatching targeting female visitors to C-M. I heard also that crime tends to increase when there's something happening that causes a lot of betting, and bad debts, like the soccer World Cup. During the Olympics? maybe then too.

[Ulysses G.]

Boots and Lamtong Electric at Thapae Gate were broken in through the roof and only money was taken.

[Mapguy]

Some very commonsensical posts here.

Walls and lights are certainly a deterrent, but a sense of community watchfulness means a lot. Noisy dogs are noisy dogs. I'd worry more about getting a good night's sleep each night than a burglar. And then there are dogs who will kiss up to anyone who shows up! If you have a nasty dog, I'd be much more concerned about what he might do to the neighborhood children and disturbingthe sleep of my neighbors. Taking simple precautions in addition to lights and reasonable walls makes sense. I'd also put security bars on easily accessible windows and doors. That's cheap, too.

Frankly, I am always pleased with how few petty crimes (purse snatchings, burglaries, and all) there are. We are in "down" economic times. Petty crime will increase. That has nothing to do with being in Thailand; that's a fact of life anywhere. The "haves" tend to ride it out; the "have nots" get very hungry. The best security might well be reducing the income gap among people.

[Flatouthruthefog]

Boots and Lamtong Electric at Thapae Gate were broken in through the roof and only money was taken.

Very good responses here - all on an important topic. Important to we who live here and crucial for those potential expats deciding whether CM is for them or not.

Altho of course it is true that as the poverty gap widens, the 'us and them' thing will sadly stimulate more petty crime than we have now, which by the way in CM is extremely low and always has been contrasted with Pattaya and Phuket in particular.

To add just a few small facts, on our small 'estate' development some 9kms from the city centre we have a totally reliable Thai security guard during hours of darkness, plus street lighting.

In 3+ years there have been only 3 known instances of intruders. One was seen vaulting over garden walls late at night and chased away, never to be seen again; one seemed to be riding around silently on a bike looking for opportunities (same fate) and just a week ago, 2 men did steal batteries off a large parked truck but the guard got the number of their getaway motorcycle. On average, not much of a worry by many western standards.

We are north of the city and the local gossip is that "all these bad men are Burmese. No Thai would ever behave like this!"

Libelous I know. Just telling y'all!

[highonthai]

I not a parnoid person, but do have a full alarm system at my home with an auto dialer. And a sign that says who lives here (Pol.Lt.Crn. Samkiat-------) and this seems to do the job (knock on wood). Also protected by the sevice of Smith & Wesson....

Crime is everywhere, not just here. I also want to get get a sign transalted into Thai that say's ," Nothing in this house is more valuable than your life".

[Ulysses G.]

We are north of the city and the local gossip is that "all these bad men are Burmese. No Thai would ever behave like this!"

Libelous I know. Just telling y'all!

The gossip in our neighborhood is that these criminals come up from Bangkok on holidays when they can fit in with legitimate travelers.

[Flatouthruthefog]

We are north of the city and the local gossip is that "all these bad men are Burmese. No Thai would ever behave like this!"

Libelous I know. Just telling y'all!

The gossip in our neighborhood is that these criminals come up from Bangkok on holidays when they can fit in with legitimate travelers.

VERY interesting UG, and I am sure that's true.

What I am beginning to identify is, among the indigenous RURAL Thai population of CM province (those who see non-Thais very rarely indeed), an automatic suspicion of strangers.

Drinking alone and quietly at a couple of local 'corner shops', ie village places with early closing hours and concrete furniture outside, I sometimes get slightly hostile looks from local Thai men coming in who don't know me. However, I always smile and nod.

Then a few mins later I will hear someone say in Thai the equivalent of "He's alright, he lives in Baan XXX, just up the road." And when the same Thai men leave, they give ME a smile and a nod and sometimes a wai, which of course I always return.

People all over the world, especially rural people, are by nature suspicious of strangers. And who can blame them?

Stranger danger!

An alarm sounded long and loud internationally by the Bush administration, which wants us all to believe that EVERYONE is a stranger...........?!

[Sao Jiang Mai]

Many years ago, we lived very briefly between Jed Yod and Chang Peuk station, and got burgled twice. Both times at night when we were in the house. The second time my brother in law, on his first visit to any country outside New Zealand, woke up to a gun on his head. They took laptops, digital stuff, but thank God not the huge bag of cash and cheques sitting in a black bin liner that I had received the week before from guests to our wedding! That area is notorious for burglery.