Crime in Ecuador

[Ray Lenahan]

I have a general observation that I’d love to receive responses to, then a question. The observation is that in doing our research in thinking about a move to Ecuador and then for our upcoming recon trip in September, crime is a subject that I rarely come across in International Living and here in the Ecuador Insider. I did a search in the forum and found a few posts, but not many (most were older). And it seems most often the comments by you all state that there is crime but it is generally safe. Take normal precautions. I have looked on other sites on expat life in Ecuador, and in one particular post commenting on how there are still places in the U.S. where people don’t lock there doors at night, it states “Here, if you didn’t lock your door(tall gated door)you will be burglarized!!” And that’s not just one site that expresses such cautions. From all this I’m getting the impression that IL sugarcoats the issue a bit. Would love your thoughts on this, and thoughts on the current state of crime in places like Cuenca and Salinas especially, since those are the places we’ll be traveling to. Not trying to raise y’all’s ire here, but that is an impression I have. Looking at the “Escape to Ecuador” manual we printed out, I don’t see one mention of crime.

And my question: In IL’s “Escape to Ecuador” manual it says to never carry your passport with you when you’re out and about, but to just keep a photocopy of it. That means when we are in Ecuador we would leave our passports in our rooms in the apartments we’re renting or in our hotel. Is it safe to leave them there, or should we keep them on us. I’m a bit confused about that.

Thank you!

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

I’ve been in Ecuador for six years and in my experience, crime in Ecuador is not worse than most areas of the U.S. – it’s just different. I travel alone (as a woman) often throughout the country and I have never felt unsafe while doing so. But, just like I would back in the U.S., I use common sense and don’t put myself in vulnerable positions.

Now, I’ve never been concerned about a mass shooting here in Ecuador – it just doesn’t happen. Back in the U.S. – it’s a real concern.

But petty theft is a semi-common occurrence in this country and something you learn to safeguard against. My doors are locked at night and all of my valuables are either indoors or locked up. The thought among some less scrupulous locals is that if you don’t care enough about your things to secure them, you must not mind if someone else avails themselves of them. The good news is that thieves usually want an easy target where they can grab and go with little risk. If you make it difficult for them to take your things, they will likely move on.

IMO, keeping yourself (or more likely your valuables) safe here can seem more complex because the area is new to us. For example, I grew up in Alaska. From a young age I learned about looking both ways before crossing the street, situational awareness in busy city areas, the proper way to handle a firearm, what to do if I encountered a bear, and my best bet for avoiding an angry mama moose. Your average Ecuadorian would probably think that Alaska is far more dangerous than their home country because they have never encountered many of the dangers that Alaska brings. But here in Ecuador, the locals all know how to keep their belongings safe and how to navigate the touristy areas where pickpockets might lurk. For those of us who didn’t grow up with such issues, it seems more problematic. But really I’m just trading my moose and bears for some opportunists.

As far as carrying your passport – there is a new law that states you must have your passport on you for ID purposes when out and about in Ecuador. So take it with you. Just keep it in a secure place in your backpack or your wife’s purse and then make sure you keep that bag on you and in sight always. It’s highly unlikely that someone will rip your belongings from your hands, but don’t hang bags on the back of chairs in restaurants or put them on the floor on the bus. Again, common sense stuff.

And we do try to be honest about the level of safety within the country, though it’s not the focus of the magazine, so is often just a sentence or two in an article here and there. Just as Arizona Highways doesn’t focus on vehicle accidents, and Modern Bride isn’t going to post divorce statistics, crime isn’t our beat. However, we would never want to recommend an unsafe area to our readers. I don’t know any of the writers for IL who would write about a place that we don’t feel is reasonably safe (unfortunately no place is crime free). If we visit a town (or even country) and wouldn’t be comfortable with our mother or best friend living there, it doesn’t make it into the magazine.

[Ray Lenahan]

Once again, thank you for the great response and perspective. Very helpful and appreciated!

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