How Dangerous is ABQ... (Albuquerque, South Valley: crimes, casino, gated)

[karmathecat]

I never said it was Detroit although I am sure there are some areas of Detroit that are safer than some areas in Albuquerque.Check with your insurance agent and see what they recommend. The person who wrote your homeowner's policy would most likely not recommend you leave your doors unlocked.We've never been robbed here, either, but that does not mean I don't lock my doors. I'm kind of fond of my posessions and don't relish the thought of someone driving off with one of my tv's or laptops.

[ABQConvict]

Most burglars just twist the doorknob. If it is locked, they just go away. This was discovered by Einstein and presented at the Council of Nicea in AD 325.

Actually, most burglaries are the result of "Break-ins" which is so-named to describe the fact that the burglar "broke" your locked-up house to get "in".

Locking your door is only effective to keep homeless people from raiding your fridge.


ABQConvict

[lalahartma]

^^^^ hahahahah.

A couple a scary looking dogs and a low key exterior help!

[Zoidberg]

According to this link,

here's a breakdown of how burglars broke in to houses in the UK from 2005-06. I'm going to guess your typical stateside burglar isn't appreciably different. They have separate statistics for attempted burglary.

16% Forced door lock
32% Door was unlocked
7% Broke door panel
6% "False Pretences" (I guess some doors will open themselves if they think you're ok?)
8% Had a key
5% Pushed past person who opened the door
11% Forced window open
8% Broke/cut glass
9% Window already open/Pushed window open


So I guess the moral of the story is, locking your door will deter one of three burglars (or at least encourage them to try a different method of entry).

[nmnita]

ABQ not on the top 15 lists for danger that Forbes put out today, but that doesn't mean another study won't come out next week or next month putting it at the top of the list. I do not take any of these studies seriously. I think ABQ is perfectly safe if you watch what you are doing, keep the doors locked in the house and the car and stay out of the known iffy neighborhoods. Crime can happen anywhere.

Nita

[JBoughton]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I think ABQ is perfectly safe if you watch what you are doing, keep the doors locked in the house and the car and stay out of the known iffy neighborhoods. Crime can happen anywhere.

Nita

What would you say to someone from outside ABQ who's thinking of retiring there what the "known iffy neighborhoods" are?

[rybert]

International District (War Zone)

[karmathecat]

I would probably avoid the South Valley and the "War Zone" ( large neighborhood close to the State Fairgrounds )

[mortimer]

Zoidberg reported:

> ... breakdown ... 32% Door was unlocked ...
> ...
> ... locking your door will deter one of three burglars ...

What if 90% of all "break-in" attempts are just the simple act of
checking if a door is unlocked? Much of the other methods of
entry indicate that someone *really* wanted to get into the
house because they all involve some degree of inconvenience.

Informational note:
------------------
One method of "casing" your dwelling is to just ring the doorbell.
If you are home, they look inside your house to see if there is any
obvious item that they can steal and for a general layout while at
the same time asking if "Fred" is there. (Oops, wrong house. Sorry.)

If you don't answer the door, they check the door and if it's locked,
use one of the other methods mentioned.

Q: When is the best time to break into someone's house?
A: A week or so after you broke into it and sucessfully stole
... valuable stuff from it.

[JBoughton]

Thanks; appreciate the info