Does having security make you secure? Some comments on the situation in Lima, Peru.

In this well written piece for LivinginPeru.com, Larry Pitman covers many of the security issues that affect those of us who call Lima home. As Larry's neighborhood had been suffering some instances of breakins and petty theft their neighborhood decided to band together and hire a private security person for their block.

Photo - courtesy of PUCP

Now, as with many things in Peru, this is a very informal procedure and consisted of the neighbors getting together, many meeting each other for the first time - this also might have something to do with crime in Peru as neighbors rarely know or for that matter recognize the person living across the street.  At these meetings the neighborhood determines that they want a watchman on the street.  Generally, a local man is hired to carry out security duties on the street.  At first glance this man would hardly seem to put a scare into any evildoers and thieves that might be in the area.  Their physical presence would hardly put a scare into school aged children let alone hardened criminal elements.

Photo Courtsey Patazas.com

However, with little money budgeted for a more formal security presence (as pictured at left) this is generally the best that the neighbors can do.  At the very least it is somebody that is physically present, not including the several hours a day that they are found dozing at their posts.  Catching a little shut-eye is the least of the concerns as these watchman are almost always giving little training let along access to any type of restroom facilities.  Further complicating matters is that they do not have either a radio or a phone to alert the local municipal security of the police.  

What they are good for though is keeping taps on the gossip of the neighborhood.  They without a doubt would be able to make confirm if there was a spouse having an affair, if a local kid was sneaking out to smoke some "hierba buena" or who on the block doesn't take their trash out on time.  

As Larry mentioned in the article on his block ever since they hired a local security guy there have been no breakins or petty theft so perhaps they security agents have a few tricks up their sleeves.  At the very least they are always good to check in on the local gossip.  

Lima: More Bus Stops per meter than any other city on earth

Ahhh, the joys of living in Lima.  Here in this wonderfully designed urban landscape we, the users of the "public" transport system, have the luxury of having more bus tops than street corners.  How you might ask is this possible?  Well it just is.  Apparently, every person in Lima is a moving bus stop.  It does not matter where you are if you stick out your arm and flick your index finger a bus, that just seconds before was careening down the boulevard, will come to a screeching halt.  Not even Superman had this type of power.  All it takes is a flick of the wrist to exercise power over the "public" transport system here in Lima.  This hold true in all circumstances.  The power is so great that each individual possesses that a bus will stop 3 or more times on the same city block to pick up or drop off passengers.

The only thing that is now required is for the Municipality of Lima to remove those ugly blue signs that faintly try to indicate where the "officially" sanctioned bus tops are.  While they are at it they can also remove the bus top prohibited signs as, if we are going to be truly honest with ourselves, had little affect as to where the people boarded or disembarked their bus.

So instead of complaining about the lack of order and respect of the law in Lima's "public" transport system we users should rejoice in the fact that to some extent Lima has created what could be the world's first individualized mass transit system.  Hats off to you Lima!