Different attitude in Security

[MrLinus]

I'm in Mexico City for a couple of weeks and I've noticed something rather interesting. The level of security here (which has been part of Mexican life for a while) is far greater and more accepted than I find in the US/Canada. We are very lax when it comes to both physical and technological security.

I suspect that our desire to have "freedoms" (or perceived freedoms) is far greater than what others see.

For those that travel beyond the borders of their nation do you find that is the same as well when visiting other countries? I have a strong suspicion that the local culture is truly what will make a nation more secure or less secure.

Thoughts?

[nihil]

I wonder about "culture"............Greater Mexico City has a population of 20Million............ they need security.

You see the same in major European cities........... that is where the crime is; that is where the terrorists are, that is where the riots happen.

[MrLinus]

Certainly. It was surprising to be told by a security guard (with a very large uzi and shotgun) that I wasn't allowed to photograph a building (pyramid shaped). I've never heard of that before and have noticed the abundance of both public and private police forces here.

[brokencrow]

I remember Paris in '98. Two soldiers with submachine guns with an NCO armed with a pistol in tow was standard fare in the train stations. Gare Saint Lazare, Gare d'Austerlitz and Gare de Lyon all had a 'military' contigent from what I saw. You didn't BS around with those guys either.

And then spending time in two small cities, Carcasonne and Fontainebleau, the military there was very noticeable. Each had a small military base, very old forts in fact. In Fontainebleau, it was adjacent to the palace grounds and in Carcasonne, it was in the middle of town. Both were busy places, particularly Fontainebleau from what I saw over the wall in an Avon graveyard.

My bro was an exchange student in Luxembourg in the 80's. He lived with a family next to a synagogue. He said every Saturday (Sabbath), two policemen armed with submachine guns stood guard out front.

It's definitely a cultural thing. I remember in the days following 9/11, some of my friends were upset by the Guardsmen deployed in US airports. I thought, "this is standard fare in most places"...

[MrLinus]

Well, I'm finding it's beyond just the standard fare of the city but businesses as well. The organization I'm at has possibly the strictest entry in and out and it occurred to me that US corporations in the US are far, far more lax in their security.

[morganlefay]

A friend of mine grew up in Mexico City and yes security is big there.

Personal body guards are the norm, gated homes (doors and windows) etc.
Weddings and celebrations you hire security for the event...usually off duty cops.

It is also not wise to flaunt jewelery or wealth in any way when out and about the town.

Definately a different mindset then we have here in Canada.

MLF

[brokencrow]

Kidnappings are BIG business in Mexico:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

[isildur]

New York was talking about making illegal, taking pictures of some parts of the city, infrastructure, public transit, etc. I am not sure if that was ever enacted. I live in small town USA and many of my neighbors leave their doors unlocked still, even though we have begun having more thefts in a week than we used to have in a year (we have gone from a completely homogeneous population to very diverse in a 15 year period).