Never Work Alone in Your Garden Without a Secured Home Behind You

People doing outdoor domestic work — gardening, cleaning, tending plants — in the early morning are vulnerable in ways that indoor activity is not. Their attention is directed downward, their back may face the street, and the sight of someone alone and occupied signals that the home behind them is temporarily unguarded. In a May 2026 incident in Camparo Village, Manzanilla, three masked intruders approached a 65-year-old woman working in her front garden at 7:30 a.m., announced a robbery, tied her hands with rope, and left her outside while they ransacked the home and took $5,500 in cash, jewellery, and a cellphone. The victim was working alone in a sparsely-populated rural area with no one nearby to intervene. The open garden access and her turned attention made the approach effortless.

Steps to follow:

• Do not garden or carry out outdoor domestic work alone, particularly in the early morning; ask a family member to stay nearby or postpone the task.
• Keep your back to the home wall and face toward the street or entry point so you can see anyone approaching from the road.
• Lock the internal door to your home before stepping into the garden, even briefly — if you are overpowered outside, a locked door slows access to the interior.
• If unknown persons approach while you are working outside, move immediately toward your door and call out loudly to indicate others are present, whether or not they are.
• In rural or isolated areas, carry a charged mobile phone on your person at all times while working outdoors.
• Consider a perimeter gate with a secure latch that forces deliberate entry — it provides additional time and noise if someone attempts to approach your garden unannounced.