Let's talk about personal safety both at home and away. Obviously your personal safety has to be at the top of your list. How do you protect yourself at home? Keeping the robber from entering your home at anytime is of prime concern. If you are also in your home at that time, it takes on a whole new dimension.

Use of a Weapon: I do not believe in keeping a loaded firearm in your home for protection for a number of reasons:

1. Without question you should never have a firearm unless you clearly understand and abide by the laws of the country you live in.

2. If you confront a person with a loaded gun, are you prepared to use it? There are grave consequences both legally and emotionally for wounding or taking a persons life. Are you prepared to face those consequences?

3. If the gun misfires or you shoot and miss, the robber may be able to take the gun away from you. Now you have a previously unarmed robber who is very nervous armed with a gun.

4. What if he is armed with some sort of weapon and seeing you with a gun makes him decide to attack you first. Something he had no intention of doing. A robbery now becomes an attempt at murder or worse still.

5. What if the lighting is poor and who you think is a robber is actually a family member or close friend who has entered your house, unknown to you, under unusual circumstances?

6. Robbers on drugs sometimes feel invincible and they will attack you even though they are unarmed, simply because you are holding a gun.

7. Having a loaded gun in your home can make you feel invincible and cause you to take action or chances that are not reasonable or sound.

8. The robber 98% of the time wants your money and valuables--not your life. Don't lose something that can never be replaced.

The foregoing reasons apply to any attack weapon. Whatever it can do to someone else it can do to you. During my career as a police officer I always carried a loaded firearm. I was trained how to use it and prepared to use deadly force if necessary. I never came across a situation where a homeowner using a weapon for deadly force ever came to a good end. Leave the guns to people who are trained and prepared to use them.

Now that you know my feelings on guns, how do you protect yourself? The following recommendations apply to anywhere in the world.

1. I think the best overall personal protection is through a 4-legged body guard or, better still, two 4-legged body guards. That really deters robbers.

2. If dogs are not your thing, or you are not permitted to have dogs in your residence, you need some system of scaring the robber away or deterring him from robbing you in the first place. Outside audible alarms make a lot of noise but there are too many false alarms with car alarms, etc. causing people not to pay too much attention. (There is a long standing joke that if you want to bring your situation to the attention of others, don't yell for help, just shout the word FIRE and that will get everyone's attention. Add to that you better know how to say it in Spanish while living in Mexico!) Silent alarms connected to a responding security service are more effective.

3. A very effective system without a lot of cost is a microphone and two outdoor speakers. You simply install weather resistant speakers, one on the front, and one in the back of your house. Set them high enough so they can't be tampered with. Then just attach them to a microphone somewhere within your house. If someone is trying to enter your home while you are there, simply pick up the microphone and let the neighborhood know. (It may help to know how to call for help in Spanish.) This system also works well for people with health-related problems. In an emergency you can get your neighbors' attention.

4. Create a buddy system with more than one person so you have someone as well as the police to call to get help.

5. Telephone lines can quit on you and they can be cut by an intruder, so always keep an active cell phone available.

6. Never open the door to someone you don't know. Speak to them through the locked door or, better still--install an intercom system. Public utility and service people should have identification. If no identification--no entry.

7. When you are away from home and driving, keep your doors locked at all times. When entering and leaving your car, take a moment to observe the surrounding area. If someone is near your car and appears at all suspicious, don't try to enter or leave your car. If they persist in hanging around your car and you are inside, move to another location. If you are outside, bring the presence of the suspicious person to the attention of some of the local residents. This action will cause the suspicious person to move on.

8. When walking at night, keep your money and credit cards separate from your purse or wallet. Keep a small amount of money in your purse or wallet and the thief will just consider you to be one of the less monied gringos in the area.

9. Unless you are going to use your credit card that night, don't carry it with you. This applies to other cards as well, i.e. bank, health, etc.

10. Try not to walk alone at night, especially in poorly lit areas. If you have to walk alone, be aware of your surroundings. Thieves do not like eye contact as it identifies them. Most purse snatchers rely on surprise.

11. Walking with a large dog at night is almost a sure-fire way of ensuring you will not be molested.

12. If you must carry large sums of money, for example from your business to home, create a buddy system with someone in another car. Or hire a person as a body guard for those times when you must carry large sums of cash.

13. There are a number of devices on the market for fending off intruders. One of the simplest is the hand-operated air horn, the type you see at sporting events. This loud noise will let anyone within a city block know of your distress.

14. Above all, if someone tries to rob you, don't be a hero. It's only money or a personal possession that can be replaced.

15. Keep emergency service numbers next to your phone.

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