TUNIS ANNUAL CRIME EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE (ACEQ)

UNCLAS TUNIS 000142 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR DS/IP/ITA, DS/IP/NEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PTER TN SUBJECT: TUNIS ANNUAL CRIME EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE (ACEQ) SPRING 2008 REF: SECSTATE 7551 ¶1. (U) Embassy Tunis responses to ACEQ keyed to paragraphs in reftel: ¶2. (paragraph 6) (U) (E) CRIMINAL ELEMENTS ROAM FREELY DAY OR NIGHT AND TARGET EMBOFF AND AFFLUENT RESIDENTIAL AREAS FOR BURGLARY. Although the Tunisian police are omnipresent, criminals take advantage of vacant residences in Emboff and affluent neighborhoods during regular business hours when the residents are at work. Criminals are known to ring doorbells of residences and wait. If there is no response, they enter the yard and search for an unsecured window or door in order to gain entry to the home. If someone answers the bell, they make a ruse as if they are with the municipality and move on. Criminals also move on if the residence cannot be easily entered. The headquarters for the African Development Bank (ADB) is in Tunis and its 1000 or so employees' homes are scattered throughout metropolitan Tunis. The ADB security officer reported to the RSO that residences which are burglarized are usually unsecured. In 2007, one Embassy home was burglarized. While the owners were out, thieves took advantage of an improperly secured door grill and forcibly entered the residence. They stole some jewelry. The visit of the local guards may have disturbed the thieves since the home's electronics were still in place. Although the American Cooperative School of Tunis (ACST) is not under Chief of Mission authority, it is located across the highway from the Embassy compound and a majority of Mission children attend ACST. In March 2007 a teaching assistant had her purse snatched by two men on a speeding a motorbike as she exited the school's front gate. Car theft is uncommon and carjacking is unheard of. Smash and grab thefts are more common should the vehicle owner leave a valuable item, such as a laptop computer, in plain sight. ¶3. (paragraph 7) (U) (A) SURROUNDED BY LOW-CRIME BUFFER ZONES, WHICH DETER CRIMINAL ELEMENTS FROM ENTERING EMBOFF NEIGHBORHOODS. It is generally safe to walk day or night in Emboff neighborhoods. The majority of Embassy-leased residences are located in north suburban Tunis. High crime areas are located closer to Tunis proper. ¶4. (paragraph 8) (U) (A) ARE DETERRED BY RISK OF CONFRONTATION AND ENGAGE PRINCIPALLY IN CRIMES BY STEALTH; BURGLARIES OF OCCUPIED RESIDENCES ARE USUALLY AVOIDED. The most common criminals are pickpockets, purse-snatchers and snatch-and-run cell-phone thieves who primarily work in the high-traffic tourist areas such as the Tunis medina and the central market, as well as other large Tunisian cities. Burglaries do not exclusively focus on the expatriate community, the growing Tunisian middle class offers criminals more opportunity for theft. Since most burglaries are crimes of opportunity, a well-secured home is often reason enough for the thieves to move on. With this in mind, middle class Tunisian families have taken measures to improve their residential security by installing grillwork over their windows and doors, something the Embassy also does. Residential break-ins occur often during the day when homes are unoccupied, although occupied break-ins are not unheard of. It can be assumed that burglars are prepared for confrontation, but are generally not predisposed to it. 5 (paragraph 9) (U) (A) UNARMED OR ARMED WITH NON-LETHAL WEAPONS. Although criminals are prepared to be confrontational, most generally avoid gratuitous violence. For the most part, crimes of stealth are usually committed by a thief who is unarmed or armed with non-lethal weapons. However, it has also been noted that criminals will rifle through a woman's purse on a crowded bus or train, undeterred by onlookers. For this reason, the RSO discourages Embassy personnel from using the public buses or overcrowded trains. It is also becoming more common for victims to notice their bag or jacket was sliced open and valuable contents stealthily removed after walking through or standing in a crowded area. Violent crime remains relatively rare in affluent areas where most expatriates reside. It is illegal to possess a firearm without government approval and the government will authorize approval to carry a firearm only in the most grievous and extreme circumstances. Even then, a heavy burden is placed upon the citizen to justify the request. ¶6. (paragraph 10) (U) (B) OPERATE IN GROUPS OF TWO TO FOUR INDIVIDUALS, ARE PREPARED TO BE CONFRONTATIONAL, BUT GENERALLY AVOID GRATUITOUS VIOLENCE. ¶7. (paragraph 11) (U) (B) LOCAL POLICE OR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS ARE PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE AT DETERRING CRIME, AND RESPONSES TO ALARMS OR EMERGENCY CALLS ARE SUFFICIENTLY PROMPT AND EFFECTIVE TO DISRUPT/NEUTRALIZE BURGLARIES. Beside the police, the Embassy local guard force is an effective tool for preventing burglaries. Their regular, yet random, visits to Embassy residences include checking the yard for unauthorized people and ensuring that vehicles are properly secured. The guards are also made aware when residents are out of town to check that the home is secured. Embassy guards also have a quicker response time than the police and can be dispatched by the RSO, Post One or FSNI at any time. The most effective deterrent is the resident. Emboffs are encouraged to use home alarms and instructed to use all security devices including locks and grills. Guards are dispatched to activated alarms when notified. ¶8. (paragraph 12) (U) (A) POLICE ARE PROFESSIONAL, WELL TRAINED, UNFAILINGLY COOPERATIVE, AND RESPONSIVE TO REQUESTS FROM POST. The Tunisian police are relatively well trained and professional. Many senior officials have received advanced training in Western Europe or the United States. Embassy requests for assistance and investigation of Embassy residence and vehicle burglaries are prompt and thorough. Tunisian police have relatively good success capturing these criminals. GODEC