To the OP:
If you're only visiting for 3 days, you'll almost certainly be fine (barring some kind of extreme bad luck.) I think encountering theft or petty crime becomes much more likely as a long-term resident (since there's more and more opportunity to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.) Pretty much every local I know has been through at least one mugging, home invasion, purse-snatching... mostly non-violent, but I know one gentleman and one 80-year-old woman who were so viciously beaten that their stories left me shaken up for days.
Personally, I'm planning to leave BA at the end of July, and the insecurity is a big reason for that. I've never been a victim (knock on wood), but after 3 years, I'm tired of feeling anxious every time I carry cash home from an ATM, walk home alone from the supermarket at 10pm, see a sketchy figure loitering on the front stoop of my building, or go out of town for a holiday (since "those are the days thieves know everyone's apartment is empty.") I'm tired of the emotional energy that is expended by keeping a constant grip on my bag in public, triple-checking all 3 locks on my door before I leave, and crossing to the other side of the street anytime I see a group of possible hoodlums up ahead. A local friend actually told me to never go bike-riding alone, because 3 huge thugs bike-jacked her husband in broad daylight one Sunday afternoon. What the hell? It's a huge detractor from quality of life, and for me, it's just not worth it (especially with the inflation, lack of consumer products, and mediocre dining/customer service adding insult to injury.) Screw that - not when there are dozens of world-class cities where daily life can be enjoyed without needing to be paranoid and suspicious 24/7. BUT, that said, everyone's mileage varies -- while my patience has run out, some expats don't mind the insecurity, and the locals are pretty impervious (or just resigned.)
