Crime In Hang Dong

[DekDoi]

Following the Songkran holidays there appears to be a rise in crime across Chiang Mai.

One 'moo ban' in Hang Don ,Tanaboon Village (owned/managed by BuildSabai), had 3 burglaries this past week.

Two of the houses broken into were owned/rented by westerners.

Has anyone else noticed an increase in crime since the Songkran holidays?

Edited April 23, 2011 by DekDoi

[trainman34014]

Does this moo ban have security and if it does are they worth the name?

[DekDoi]

The project is managed by Build Sabai, they keep changing the security company and the guard on duty the evening of the robberies couldn't even speak Thai properly.....

Edited April 23, 2011 by DekDoi

[JackSterling]

I live nearby that place...I drive by it daily.. No real security it seems now.. Anyone can enter but I bet that will end soon..

[Lobo4819]

I'll be moving to Chiang Mai within a month (staying in temp quarters initially while I look for a more "permanent" place), and was just wondering how the crime in general is? I know that is a relative question, and has a lot to do with both the building and your own level of awareness of your surroundings, but any comments or feedback would be helpful. I'm coming in from Panama, where I believe is the place of origen of the cat burglar, but hardly anything in the way of violent crime. Thanks.

[Ulysses G.]

There is crime everywhere, but as long as you take reasonable precautions, Chiang Mai is not too bad. However, it might be a good idea to be very careful if you visit Spicy late in the evening.

Edited April 24, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I think overall it's pretty low. I've had a moped stolen once. That was 12 years ago.

Also very little in the way of violent crime, but of course if you go out (very) late at night then trouble sometimes happens, as it does anywhere where crowds go and drink.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

There is crime everywhere, but as long as you take reasonable precautions, Chiang Mai is not too bad. However, it might be a good idea to be very careful if you visit Spicy late in the evening.

No reason to single out any particular place.

Show me place that's open until 4am that's any different.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

The petty theft in Chiang Mai is a tiny fraction of theft in Costa Rica and Panama.

For example in Chiang Mai I go shopping all the time and load up my motorbike with produce. I often leave it unattended in various public places before I get it back home. Not anything stolen in 6 years.

In many parts of San Jose Costa Rica that would be impossible to not be robbed regularly.

[sarahsbloke]

I also leave helmet and shopping sitting on the m/c.

Never had anything stolen.

More honest than the little village in Cornwall I came from.

Great place to live.

[Dante99]

Does this moo ban have security and if it does are they worth the name?

Do any moobaans have real security? They mostly have guards, many of whom often sleep most of the night and perimeter walls that are easily to get over. There may be exceptions but where in CM?

[Dellboy218]

I am just inside Hangdong Amphur on a village with no security. In just over 20 years we have only had one attempt to break into the house and that was about 18 years ago. Fortunately he/she decided to break into a utility room on the side of the house and would have had to break down a further 3 doors to get into the house proper. At the time a lot of construction was going on in the next door village which borders my house and a lot of imported labour was in temporary housing near the wall. There have been odd attempts on other houses in the village some successful but very few in number. In the next village, some time ago, someone cleaned out a whole house, furniture an' all. They do have security but obviously wave 'Pickford' types through!

[trainman34014]

Does this moo ban have security and if it does are they worth the name?

Do any moobaans have real security? They mostly have guards, many of whom often sleep most of the night and perimeter walls that are easily to get over. There may be exceptions but where in CM?

If you mean Watch Towers with Machine Guns, Razor Wire, Ferocious Dogs Et al the answer has to be no. However; the Mooban we live on near Hang Dong has a very large security team that do 24/7 2 hourly patrols throughout the village with checking in points in almost all soi's. We have 4 entrances, 3 of which are closed after 7pm and I can vouch for the fact that we have two men on the remaining gate that are awake all night. In the 15 years that the development has existed there has never been a burglary. Could be just luck of course but I put it down to the possibility there are not many poor people or drug addicts in the area.

[Sparkles]

Security in some villages is a token gesture. I guess the prescence of some uniforms might deter the amateur but for the pro's or desperate people no. Our village entrance has security cameras which are not a deterrent. The number of vehicles with darkened window makes it impossible to identify occupants as happened in Bangkok the other day when police shot up a car not knowing a Dr was held inside as a hostage.In our village,which covers a huge area, anybody can drive in or out without leaving any ID or being asked their business.

Having said that the incidence of theft is remarkably low in outlying areas, our village included, for which we should be thankful.

[LJW]

In my Muubaan, Tanawan, I pay 330 baht a month for garbage removal (every day) and security. I have lived here in this muubaan for 10 years and have never had a problem.

The only problem I have had was when I left my passport and money on the roof of my car and drove off... A couple of days later, I received a call from my embassy reporting that someone had turned in my passport. No money, but I was very happy

[LJW]

In my Muubaan, Tanawan, I pay 330 baht a month for garbage removal (every day) and security. I have lived here in this muubaan for 10 years and have never had a problem.

The only problem I have had was when I left my passport and money on the roof of my car and drove off... A couple of days later, I received a call from my embassy reporting that someone had turned in my passport. No money, but I was very happy

[Semper]

There is crime everywhere, but as long as you take reasonable precautions, Chiang Mai is not too bad. However, it might be a good idea to be very careful if you visit Spicy late in the evening.

I thought they are only open very late in the evening.

[Ulysses G.]

They are open fairly early, but seem to get more customers later in the evening.

[CMX]

I come from a city in the United States that is well known for (poverty and) crime. Chiang Mai is on a different planet.

However, many Thai people in many sections of this region bar every window. There has to be a reason for that.

Some moobahn have serious barriers to theft. Mine requires passing through a gate with 3 awake guards on duty, cameras, and then another of several, where one more guard is on duty and there are more cameras - and my "sticker" won't let me into the villages. I've seen some moobahn that have double gates; they open one that "trap" the car before the second is opened after the car's reason for being there is explained to wide awake guards. So in these circumstances, we won't have noticed because we are less vulnerable.

I've been told that we don't have theft. But what do estate agents know?

It is true that some Thai people might be particularly low on baht after Songkran.

[Semper]

I come from a city in the United States that is well known for (poverty and) crime. Chiang Mai is on a different planet.

However, many Thai people in many sections of this region bar every window. There has to be a reason for that.

Some moobahn have serious barriers to theft. Mine requires passing through a gate with 3 awake guards on duty, cameras, and then another of several, where one more guard is on duty and there are more cameras - and my "sticker" won't let me into the villages. I've seen some moobahn that have double gates; they open one that "trap" the car before the second is opened after the car's reason for being there is explained to wide awake guards. So in these circumstances, we won't have noticed because we are less vulnerable.

I've been told that we don't have theft. But what do estate agents know?

It is true that some Thai people might be particularly low on baht after Songkran.

Yes.

[mccw]

Does this moo ban have security and if it does are they worth the name?

Do any moobaans have real security? They mostly have guards, many of whom often sleep most of the night and perimeter walls that are easily to get over. There may be exceptions but where in CM?

Karnkanok has high wall with metal spikes on top all the way around perimeter. Security on the gate take your ID if your not resident. They also patrol on bosicles day and night. Very happy with them. One house was robbed 3 years ago which is when they put the spikes up since then nothing.

Other estates I have visited such as "the emperor" have excellent security. The old or overly large moobaans seem to b the worse security wise. Village or street/ town houses worse still. Condos by the most part seem pretty secure but not the cheaper apartment thai style with uncontrolled access.

[cardinalblue]

I have not found or seen better compoud security in CM than Land and House on Mae Jo Road. One has a central gate to enter and then indiviudual security gate to pass through for each village. At the central gate, they take visitor IDs and at the village gate, then a security guard will lead you to where you are headed...

My only issue over the years is taat they have a tendency to rotate guards in a situation where you want familarity and also itsd a field with high turnover. That said, they do have a "kick-ass" supervisor and so un-thai like. Just what they need for this type of position and I know other westerners like it....

CB

[DekDoi]

I've noticed that a few moo baans in Chiang Mai, such as Land & House do have decent security.Once again it appears that you get what you pay for.

Edited April 25, 2011 by DekDoi

[DekDoi]

This Moo Baan in Hang Dong has been visited by thieves again today.

A house belonging to a retired foreign couple and a house belonging to a policewoman were both broken into earlier today.

[getgoin]

I love that I can drive through the security at almost any housing estate because I am a foreigner. I doubt that the thieves drive right in. Almost all of the guard gated developments have walls around them with no patrols and no cameras. There really is no security in these developments regardless if there is someone at the gate or not. The guards at the developments are not roaming and they probably do not stop anyone who is already inside.

Sounds to me like a simple problem that has to do with someone who lives close and is familiar with the development. Could be a relative of the security or a member of the security or landscaping. Could be a family member of a Thai family that lives there or one of the many broke foreigners that needs a little help.

Because it happens so often it shouldn't be hard to pin it down.