I am going to get in hot water for this because it is not the usual pro-paradise story.
This is a true story. Date: Thursday Nov 17, 2011. Time: 7:00 a.m. Place: The Oaks Tamarindo, Costa Rica. 
The facts. A resident at The Oaks, “Otto”, sees a security guard, let’s call him “Oscar”, staring into his bedroom sliding glass door at 7:00 a.m. On the table: a Polar exercise watch, value $550. Otto locks up, goes to work. Returns at 1:00 p.m. for lunch. The Polar watch is gone. In its place, muddy foot prints where “someone” has forced open a window, entered and left Otthe condominium. Otto calls the manager, “Roberto”, and reports a theft. He also reports his suspicions concerning Oscar. Roberto: tranquilo mae, vamos a ver.
4:30 p.m. Thursday. At the change of shift from day to night guards, Roberto calls Oscar into the office. Empty your bags. Empty your pockets. What falls out? A Polar exercise watch. Value $550.( By the way, Oscar earns $460 a month.) Roberto takes the watch from Oscar, puts it in a safe, gives Oscar a receipt, and asks him to come back tomorrow. Surely, there is a misunderstanding. Just bring your purchase receipt. It is all good, this is Costa Rica, Pura Vida. Roberto calls Otto. Come over, take a look. Is this your watch? Otto: oh yeah. It is synchronized to my exercise bike, here is how it syncs up. Roberto: cool. Come back tomorrow.
Friday morning. Roberto calls the OIJ, which is Costa Rica’s version of CSI. In Costa Rica, police cannot investigate crimes, by law. Only the OIJ has the professional expertise for this delicate task. The OIJ comes over within two hours. Great work! Roberto calls Otto, who comes back to The Oaks from work. Otto shows the watch to Oscar and the OIJ, shows how it is synchronized to his exercise bike. Oscar stares at his feet. The OIJ hands the watch to Otto, signs papers. Time to go.
Whoa, says Roberto. How about arresting Oscar? How about swearing out a search warrant for Oscar’s house? There have been other thefts. Isn’t Oscar a suspect? Says the OIJ, did anyone SEE the theft of the watch? Well, no. That is the point. The theft occurred after Otto left home!
BUT, Oscar signed in to work at 6:00 a.m. The watch was in Otto’s home at 7:00 a.m. The watch was not in Otto’s home at 1:00 p.m. The watch WAS in Oscar’s bag at 4:30 p.m. Do you think you can figure this out? No, we cannot. UNDER THE LAWS OF THE REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA WE NEED AN EYEWITNESS. OSCAR IS HOME FREE.
OH WELL. Bye OIJ. Thanks for dropping by. Otto leaves with his watch. Oscar, the guard, turns to Roberto. What do I do now? Roberto: leave and don’t come back.
On the way out, Oscar complains to the guard at the front gate. What about my watch, mae? ( the one I stole.) Guard: If you want it, go back inside and ask Don Roberto for it. Oscar leaves.
This, my friends, is why Costa Rica is a paradise for petty thieves. The law simply does not provide a way to catch them, never mind punish them. If you want to keep your stuff, you have to watch it. Closely. Still, this same sneak thief culture is good, in a perverse way, since the culture promotes non-confrontation. You are, generally speaking, safe. Safer for sure than Miami, where Roberto hails from. You just have to keep your eyes open and your guard up.
By the way, CSI:Costa Rica is an oxymoron.
