Be Safe During the Feria
Lots of new people in town - not all are freinds
Yesterday one of our members was followed. Parked near the library, two men were standing in front of her car. She thought nothing of it. As she started driving home, she noticed that two men in a car were following her through the twists and turns of town. She drove faster and they kept up with her. She was followed all the way to Alto Boquete through a neighborhood and only broke off after she entered a private development. A single woman in a car? What did they have in mind?
The festivals attract criminals, who take advantage of the crowds and confusion. During these times, we have to be extra vigilant and aware of our surroundings, even driving in our own car. Everyone should also take a close look at the security of their home and their neighbors too, because the bad guys sometimes drive around the neighborhoods looking for easy targets to rob.
What to do if you think you're being followed? A few things come to mind.
If alone in your car, never stop and roll the window down for a suspicious stranger. Drive away.
Let the bad guys know that you know that they are there. This takes away their element of surprise:
Make a turn and go around the block or turn around in a parking lot and drive back the way you came. If someone is following you that will become immediately evident.
Do something wierd. Slow down and drive very slowly hitting your brake frequently. We all know how irritating it is to drive behind somebody who is really slow. If they're not following you, they will either honk or pass you. If they are following you and do nothing, then you can decide what else to do to irritate and confuse them.
Drive to a well-populated area, like the parking lot of supermarket, and park directly in front where the security guards can see you.
DO NOT drive to your home! They may be following you to rob your house.
Call a friend! Two heads are better than one, and together, you can devise a strategy. If they are directly behind you, drive slowly and make it obvious that you are on the phone. Or don’t call, just pretend to be calling. Pretend to talk, then look back at them, and continue pretending to talk.
Use your phone camera to intimidate
There are lots of ways to use a camera to intimidate bad guys. At a stop, turn around and pretend to take a picture of them through the back window. If you have to stop for some reason, put your camera on video recording and hold it up in front of you, like showing them a badge, recording all the time. Or, make a video call to someone on WhatsApp while you are driving. They can then witness whatever happens. Tell the bad guys to talk to your friend, you don’t understand Spanish.
If you have any other tips for staying safe during this time of crowds, let me know in the comments and I’ll put them out.
Mark Heyer