How to Stay Safe When Travelling in Mexico

Introduction
The first thing that you need to know about Mexico is that it isn't a part of the west. The mores are different, very different indeed. To give just one example of that - fifty per cent of the crimes in Mexico City are carried out by serving or former police officers.

That statistic doesn't just reflect the state of the police; it says a lot about the country as well. Basically, when a Mexican leaves his house he enters a world in which he feels little or no solidarity. The Arabs have a saying, which translates as "Me and my brother against my cousin; me, my brother and my cousin against everyone else". The Mexicans would understand that saying only too well, because it is how they live.

This basic attitude can create problems for you, if you travel around thinking that the police are there to protect you, and that only criminals commit crimes. A lot of crime in Mexico City is opportunistic. Leave a camera on a restaurant table and go to the toilet and anyone from the waiter to a customer could steal it. Sure, the same thing could happen in London, but there is more chance of it happening here, given the basic indifference that most Mexicans have to anyone outside their family circle. The police are not just corrupt, but indifferent as well. Unless someone in authority pushes them to investigate a crime, they will simply go through the motions. For you to get someone to do the pushing means that you have influential friends, and that isn't very likely for a tourist.

As a tourist, you don't speak the language and bring with you your basic, western set of values. It is far better if you leave those values at the airport and accept that you are in a different world right now.

Let's look at some areas where tourists get into trouble, and then offer you some advice on how to avoid trouble happening.

The Airport
The airport building is very safe as is the well-lit area just in front. Don't go walking around the airport district because it is one of the most dangerous parts of Mexico City. Don't, whatever you do, take one of the taxis that cruise around outside the airport. Most of the drivers are just men trying to make a living, but a few are part of criminal gangs. The driver loads you into his cab and then makes a sudden turn into a side street where his cohorts are waiting to relieve you of everything. Don't become one of those statistics. Inside the airport there are desks where you can order a cab. Using this system is more expensive than using a street taxi, but a lot less expensive than having everything stolen.

The Metro
Crime is rife on the underground, so you need to keep your wits about you. One of the favourite tricks involves a five person gang. As the train doors open, you will start to move forward and two gang members will be just in front of you. They will step up into the train and stop, leaving you to try and push past them. While this is going on, two other team members will be behind you, with their shoulders pushing into yours. It seems to you as if the usual rugby scrum is going on, but actually what is happening is that the fifth member of the team is using a very sharp knife to slice open your bag and rifle the contents. The whole things is over in about five seconds, and then the team breaks away.

In any crowd you need to be aware of what is going on, and that is not something that you will learn from reading these words. The best tip that I can give you, therefore, is not to carry a bag slung over one shoulder. Have it across your chest and try to carry it in front of you as well. If your bag is an attach case or similar, hold it in front of you especially in crowds. It is far more difficult for the thieves to operate that way, and hopefully they will leave you alone and look for someone else.

Taxis
Staff at the American Embassy are under standing orders not to take cabs that cruise the streets. It is not just that some of the drivers are connected to assault teams, it is that many of the cabs don't have any insurance and the drivers haven't got a license. Be safe and use the taxis that your hotel can supply, or the ones that can be found at a licensed taxi rank. Yes, you will pay more for their services, but at least you will be safe.

The Street
If you stay in the tourist areas, then you should be fine. However, street gangs do operate even in the Zona Rosa, or at least the areas around it, so be careful at night. Gangs operate in large groups so fighting them off is usually not an option. The standard form of attack is for the biggest gang member to grab you around the neck from behind. Others will then move in like jackals to grab their prey. One or two will reach into your trouser pockets from behind and grab whatever they can. While this is going on another will come at you from the front. You will reach out to stop him and quick as a flash he will grab your wristwatch - which is what he was after from the beginning. At a signal from the team leader they will all break and run off in different directions. Again, as with the metro bag slashers, the whole thing is over before you realise it.

Nightclubs & Bars
When you order a drink the waiter will usually open the bottle in front of you. If it arrives open, just refuse to accept it. The scam here is to slip some pretty nasty chemicals into the drinks that will render you unconscious. This trick is usually pulled on men to ease the theft of their wallets. You can probably guess why it is done to women. By the same token, in a nightclub, never leave your drink unfinished if you go to the dance floor. If you forget, just order another drink when you return. These practices go on in the UK as well, but the difference there is that the police try to actually do something about them. Here you are on your own, so do as the Mexicans do, and don't fall for tricks like this.

Basic Precautions
Wear trousers that have zips on them - the more the better. Then spread the cash around as many pockets as you can.

Don't change a lot of cash all at once. Far too many bank tellers are involved with gangs, so if you are robbed just after changing money, the chances are that the teller tipped off his cousin that a fat prospect was on his way.

Use your credit card. It may sound crazy, but Mexican thieves are not interested in the plastic: it's too sophisticated for them. They want cash, jewellery and watches. Pull out a wad of pesos and you become a potential victim. Use a credit card and people tend to lose interest in you.

If a policeman is around you can try to get him to do something. Criminals who do get caught tend to be nabbed in this way - the victim got a good look at the villains and could point out the street where they ran to a passing cop. Make sure that you go with the police, because they do have a habit of taking bribes from the crooks to let them go. If someone is arrested, stay with the police until you, they and those under arrest all get to a police station.

Reporting a crime
However, the chances are that no arrests will be made, so unless you need to report a crime for insurance purposes, my honest advice is not to bother. If you do have to report an incident, telling the police on the street is not enough. You have to go to an office of the Ministerio Publico - the prosecutors - and make a statement. This statement can only be made to a lawyer, and if they are all working on other cases, then you will have to wait. And wait. And wait. Once you have made your statement, then you will speak to the policia judicial - the investigating police. Expect to be hanging around for about five hours at least.

If you are adding to the statistics, make sure that you are given a copy of all the documentation before you leave the building. Tell all concerned that it is for your insurance claim. If you forget to do this, then getting hold of these documents at a later date is next to impossible without spending yet more long hours and ruining yet more of your holiday.

Language
In theory the Ministerio Publico offices should have an English speaker on hand, especially in the tourist areas. I would not bank on that if I were you. You can try calling your consulate and see if they have someone who can help, or hire someone from your hotel to go along with you.

As you can see, it is far better to stay away from danger than to try and sort the mess out afterwards. Be careful, follow my simple advice, and hopefully your trip will not be ruined by anything at all.