Conde Nast recent article about STJ crime

About making villas more secure without turning them into fortresses...

A villa we rented on STX came with a well lighted drive way, front entrance, and immediate home perimeter. The house was keyless and relied instead on an electronic lock system -- the owner reset the codes after every guest and didn't reuse codes for years, if at all. She had has installed motion detectors on every door and window, as well as throughout the carport. As we always do, we kept the doors locked when we were out and while at home. With the motion detectors, we felt safe leaving the wooden louvered windows -- rigged with additional screws that make it all but impossible to remove individual louvres from the outside -- open at night to take advantage of the breezes.

When we had any concerns about driving home after being out, we were always able to find someone we know or who lives in the area that is personally vouched for by our friends, to accompany/watch us as we headed to our car and got in, and then followed us back to our place and watched us go in, check out the house, and give them a thumbs up sign or cell phone call after we'd activated the various security devices.

Sadly, taking personal precautions is far more reliable than counting on the police/judicial system/government anywhere to keep you safe.

--HC