Some new barbed wire placed atop the border wall between Tijuana, Baja California, and San Diego, California, didn’t stay there long: it is now serving to improve security at several area homes on the southern side of the border.

The wire was installed to reinforce the Mexico-U.S. border recently in response to the arrival of thousands of migrants in caravans from Central America.

But the barbed wire is there no more, leading to the belief that thieves on the Mexico side removed it and sold it in nearby neighborhoods, giving residents extra protection against delinquency, presumably by other thieves.

“We know about the theft of barbed wire because United States authorities have requested our help,” said Tijuana police chief Marco Antonio Sotomayor Amezcua.

But his department has not been of much help, he said, because thieves are long gone by the time police arrive.

Houses near the border are now clearly protected with barbed wire of a similar size and what’s more, a type that is not sold in Mexican stores.

Source: Milenio (sp)