Update: Home Invasion (Security Mistakes)

There was a significant security incident recently involving a family of English speaking expatriates from the United States. I received information about this event from several sources. What I heard and learned prompted me to investigate this crime with an eye toward informing other members of the community. In short this family went through hell unnecessarily. They committed several fundamental security mistakes. All mishaps are the result of the convergence of unanticipated circumstances and in this incident an exceptionally lax security posture resulted in criminals targeting this family for a violent home invasion, assault, and robbery. The family was victimized and the criminals are to blame, but each of us bears the responsibility for our own personal safety and security. You can significantly reduce your chances of being targeted for crime by following adequate security practices. This event is an opportunity for all of us to learn from the mistakes of others... (more)

Spirit and Intent: I have no desire to point the finger or assign blame the family that was brutally assaulted in this crime. It is not my intent to divert guilt for this crime away from the criminals. My goal in writing this article is to help other members of the English speaking expatriate community in Panama to identify and highlight the weakness these criminals exploited in an effort to prevent a similar crime from occurring to someone else.

Summary of Security Flaws:

• Single Family Home: This home starts off with two strikes from a security posture point of view. It is less secure because there is no shared security support system like those found in an apartment building. Also as a single family home there is no controlled entry or gate to access the area. Anyone can drive right up to the front of the house unchallenged. People living in single family home in a stand-alone situation (not part of a gated community) should make up for the lower posture with other layered security elements. As you will see this residence was left woefully unprotected.
  
  
• Very Nice Neighborhood: The residence is a large single family home located in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Panama City. It might seem obvious but criminals go to the money. If you live in a better neighborhood then you have to pay particular attention to your security posture. A layered approach has a better chance of detecting this kind of home invasion, alerting residents, and allowing for some kind of effective security response.
  
  
• Doors Left Unlocked (Multiple): There were two entrances, a sliding glass patio door and another side door that were left unlocked when the residents went to sleep, an obvious procedural mistake. Several of the locks on the sliding glass doors appeared to be old and damaged. All physical security barriers are reduced to absolute zero value if you leave the doors unlocked.
  
  
• Construction Site: The house is being renovated and there are several different kinds of workers coming in and out all day. Any of these individuals knew enough about the security situation on the property to identify the residence as a relatively easy target. For example a construction worker or temporary employee could have noticed that one (or more) of the locks on the exterior doors were damaged and could not be locked under any circumstances.
  
  
• No Alarm System: The house where this family was living did not have an electronic alarm system installed. A very simple alarm system would have alerted the residents and prevented this attack.
  
  
• No Dog: The house has a big front and back yard but there was no dog on the property. There is plenty of space and room for either a small watchdog or a large guard dog.
  
  
• No Security Guard: It's common for individual home owners or several owners in a neighborhood to pitch in together and hire a security guard for the 7:00 pm - 7:00 am shift. There was no human security element watching over this house or the area.
  
  
• No Security Lighting Flood lights with motion sensors are an easy way to cover large open areas. This house did not have any effective exterior lighting.
  
  
• Security Wall: The house has a six-foot tall cement block wall on the front of the property. The garage area has a sliding metal door that opens to the side to allow cars to enter. Both are solidly built. Walls such as this often provide a false sense of security. They are easily defeated and once the bad guys are inside no one can see what they are doing from the street.
  
  
• No Intercom / Security Camera Combination: There was no intercom system to allow visitors to call inside of the residence to announce their arrival or identify themselves. There were also no security cameras installed to allow residents inside to identify whoever is outside visually before opening an outside gate to allow entry. The custom for this property was for people to bang on the metal security gate and make noise until someone opened the door to let them in (you can actually see the marks made on the metal fence made from repeated banging.) Because of the way the security wall and gate are constructed it is impossible to see the street from inside. In this case cameras are required to support the intercom. The lack of an intercom or cameras had no bearing on this crime.
  
  
• No Security Wire: There was no barbed or razor wire installed. The security wall was topped with flat decorative tiles and there was no razor wire or other physical barrier to make climbing over the wall harder.
  
  
• No Neighborhood Watch: If the area is covered by an organized neighborhood watch program this house was not participating. There was no alarm bell system installed to alert neighbors of a problem.
  
  
• No Panic Button: At one point during the assault a family member was inside of the master bedroom and had locked the door from the inside. She had enough time to hit a panic button if one had existed.
  
  
• Inferior (Low-Quality) Interior Doors: The woman in the house was behind a locked interior door at one point during the attack. The attackers were able to quickly get through the interior door using brute force (solid kick or shoulder lunge.) They actually hit the door so hard the wooden frame came out of the wall.
  
  
• Tree Growing Next to Security Perimeter Fence: The criminals used a machete to cut notches into a large tree that was growing next to the fence, effectively turning it into a ladder. They climbed up the tree and were over the fence in seconds.
  
  
• Over-watch: The criminals positioned someone outside who had good visibility into the the property from the street who could watch their backs as they ransacked the house and assaulted the residents.
  
  
• Unarmed Resident: The criminals entering the house were armed with at least one handgun. They first grabbed one of the minor girls in the house and used the control over her to eventually gain control over the entire family. The father fought with the attackers but was eventually subdued by multiple attackers who used brute force and the threat to his daughter's life to control him. His bare hands were the only weapons available and they turned out to be insufficient for the situation.

Scenario Description: At 1:00 am the last family member turns off a television to go to sleep. This action was probably observed from the over-watch position on the street. Either on cue or signal at least four men climbed over the outer security wall using the tree on the street that had been modified to act as a ladder to breach the outer security fence. They went around to the back of the house and entered the building through a rear unlocked door. Once inside two men went into the bedroom of one of the teenage girls and grabbed her. She screamed which alerted the parents in the home. The father exited the master bedroom and was surprised to be confronted by multiple armed assailants that were already in his home. He resisted physically but eventually succumbed to several blows to the mouth and head. Basically he was pistol-whipped. The mother locked the door to the master bedroom from the inside and tried to use the telephone to summon a security response. She dialed 911 (which does not work in Panama.) The assailants broke down the door to the master bedroom and assaulted the mother (punch in the face.) Once all family members were under control the assailants ransacked the house, stole some electronics and other valuables and fled.

Rookie Mistakes: There's no way these criminals were either professionals or experienced. Several of the details of this attack indicate exactly how unprepared they were:

• Materials On-Hand: The assailants were eventually able to round up the entire family and force them into the master bedroom. They used available materials (such as lamp cords) to tie and bound the victims. Professionals would have been better prepared and would have used their own materials like zip-cuffs or duct-tape to bound the victims.
  
  
• Not Much of Value: The assailants only managed to take some personal jewelry, a couple of televisions, and some on-hand cash. There was nothing of any real value in the house that should have warranted this attack. In short, this residence was such an easy target it was practically irresistible even though there was little to gain.
  
  
• Improvised Exit Strategy: The assailants stole a vehicle and used it to flee the scene. The actually left one television behind (with fingerprints) apparently because they all could not fit in the car. The vehicle has since been recovered (with prints.) These guys made a lot of mistakes and will probably be caught eventually.
  

Summary: I count at least ten different ways this attack could have been prevented. If you add just one or two additional security elements this home invasion fails. A dog starts barking, the lights come on, and someone calls the police. It's really that simple. You are as "safe and secure" as the living situation you create for yourself through your decisions and actions (or poor decisions and lack of planning.) All of the security flaws have since been corrected at this property and this house will eventually be the second-toughest nut in the neighborhood (after the electric fence and SIP security detail at "El Toro's" place.)

I sincerely hope the victims of this assault recover fully and learn to love Panama as much as I do.