More attacks on hostels
Hostel Trends and News
This just in from a friend on Facebook:
"Well, some of you know, some don´t, I am in Panama managing a hostel, which up until two days ago had been going smoothly. That was until 4 guy´s came in with guns and knives and held 50 of us hostage for 3 hours while they ransacked the hostel from top to bottom. I always wandered what it would be like to have a gun pushed into my face and now I know! Luckily no one was seriously hurt. Will write a more detailed story when we are back to normal."
Sad as he had only had the job for less than a month.
I have just seen that the hostel concerned is in the hostel directory.
- Comments
15 years
There is a small hostel community in Yahoo called INFOHOSTELS and everybopdy belonging to the group lets the rest know about their bad experiences with guests. Most of the time regarding robberies or unpaid bills.
I have no idea if it´s a treend, but I´ve been hearing a lot about armed robberies to hostels. This is why Fernando (my boss) installed 9 cameras and a NO-WALK IN policy.
We rather have less people but be safe! This is not something happening everyday, but we all have families and people waitiing for us home...so we need to be extra carefull. And it gives a secure environment to the guests who at first feel awkward about being buzzed in and out, but then they appreciate that they are being taken care of.
In HB we are 97.6% ranked in safety...that´s good!!!
15 years
The trend is that thieves have been realize some hostels, don't have budget to make a proper security system, or pay for a security staff. And because of the informal and friendly characteristics it's easy to get inside the houses. In Brazil during the summer season and just before carnival a couple of hostels were victim of this kind of trend. After this facts authorities start to inspect hostels establishments close illegal hostels and suggest security matters to the good ones. BBC website reported these robberies on February, 20th of this year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7900711.stm
15 years
Have any European hostels suffered from similar attacks? Or are there other types of security problems?
15 years
I know the hostel and the owner, and have talked to him since the incident. While it's very unfortunate that it happened, in our area of the world, there is no deterrent to keep people from doing this.
Security guard: No guard is going to stick his neck out for $2 an hour.
Cameras: No one worries about security cameras because the police are inept, understaffed, and careless. Having definitive proof won't help catch the culprits, therefor it's not a deterrent.
No-walkins: We don't take walk-ins after 10 pm, but in Central America, where guests arrive from places with no internet, phones or electricity in some cases, it's not always easy to make a reservation.
Most hostels have a security gate, but unless you go outside and frisk everyone that wants in, it doesn't really matter. You can't have a silent alarm to a security company, because if you use it, then the gunmen are trapped inside with you and the guests, with the moronic cops outside.
Really, the bottom line is, if there are people that want to do this sort of thing, they're going to get it done. It has happened to other hostels in Panama and Costa Rica (and sometimes it's the POLICE that are bandits), unfortunately this incident is getting the brunt of the publicity.
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