I must say that I'm beginning to feel myself blessed in ways that I'd not expected. In all my many trips to Argentina over the decades, I've never been subjected to a crime; but this poll thus far indicates that more than a third of respondents have been, and most of those, to more than one crime. Sad!
I agree that the situation should be better, but I think we need to maintain some perspective on this. I've conducted similar, informal polls over the years in various cities, and usually around a dinner table.
Ask a group of New Yorkers about their personal experience with crime, and you'll likely find more than 1 in 3 who have been victims of some crime. Same in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
I've gotten similar responses in Paris and Rome (about 1 in 3 residents). Of course the gun problem is something unique to the Americas, so the threat of serious violence seems less in Europe than in Argentina or the US.
I've been here for 3 years, with several visits before I decided to move, and, like RWS, I haven't yet been the victim of a crime. I assume if I stay here long enough, my luck will run out, and I'll experience some problem.
I lived in New York for 30 years, including the 70s and 80s when street crime was a very serious problem. I never personally suffered any crime, although many of my friends were mugged or robbed at some point or another. I have been robbed or pickpocketed in Prague and Amsterdam, however.
I accepted the risk as part of the price you pay to live in a vibrant city like New York or Buenos Aires, although I must say that I don't sense the same sort of danger here that I often did in New York.
