Most Mexican mansions have walls topped with broken glass and coke bottles. That would be nice.
In Costa Rica, it is not just mansions, but virtually every house has walls, razor wire, etc. I think it is a basic feature of Latin American architecture. Houses are built very like prisons with the opposite idea of keeping outsiders out.
Costa Rica did not strike me as out of control, but the locals all assured me that an unlocked gate for an hour or so would lead to the house being robbed. The only facilities without these measures that I saw were graveyards.
Perhaps the fine mayor is just getting back to his architectural roots.