Crime in BsAs - anyone?

[arty]

yesterday while at san telmo i was walking with a friend and we got stuck in a jam of people. i was ahead of my friend and when i looked back to her i saw a lady lifting her wallet out of her backpack. i charged back there got the wallet and started to shove the pickpocket, but she just walked off and didn't say a word.

 

[John.St]

There is a tendency among expats to dismiss crime here with the argument that there is as much crime in New York, Chicago etc.

Not dismiss - crime in BsAs seems to be rife, as compared to many other. albeit smaller, cities - but to keep a perspective.

"Four men were shot to death yesterday ..." in a city with 4,000,000 men, doesn't indicate that all men have been - or are going to get - shot to death. Nobody mentions the 3,999,996 men who weren't shot.

... Yes, there is crime in Manhattan but I don't believe it touches the lives of the average Manhattanite the way it affects Porteños. I hear constantly about Porteño friends who have been robbed - yesterday a friend was threatened when she was driving her car near the Sheraton Hotel in Retiro. She stopped at a traffic light and a man approached her and demanded her money, threatening to kill her.

In Washington a number of people have actually been killed because they refused to hand over their cars to criminals, at least one incidence took place within a quarter of a mile from the White House. So what about Washington? Worse than BsAs - or does crime happen in every big city? Again: The perspective.

The reason for this thread is to get a picture of how bad it really is. So far it looks bad, but not extensively so - a far cry from e.g. Mexico City and some other metropolis.

Just about everyone I know here has a story to tell. I honestly can't say that about people I know in the US - most of the people I know in the US have NEVER been victims of crimes.

Interesting friends, you've got. So far the poll shows that 57% of the expats respondents have not been victims of crime.

Read jimdepalermo's post earlier in this thread: http://baexpats.org/expat-life/5805-crime-bsas-anyone.html#post35641 where he tells us that about one third of people he has asked in other big cities tell the same tale, one third have been victims of crime at one time or another.

I myself have been assaulted twice in Valparaíso, each time by four criminals, once three of them with knives. Does that make Valpo the hub of crime? - perspective!

In Valpo I think the greatest problem is that carabiñeros refused to make reports since nothing had been stolen in either case, thus "underreporting" the number of incidences.

 

[John.St]

yesterday while at san telmo i was walking with a friend and we got stuck in a jam of people. i was ahead of my friend and when i looked back to her i saw a lady lifting her wallet out of her backpack. i charged back there got the wallet and started to shove the pickpocket, but she just walked off and didn't say a word.

A lady? A lady?

Never use wallets, they are too easy to lift, and besides never keep real valuables in your backpack - lessons learned in hostile environments.

 

[syngirl]

The first post with the important definitions is now somewhat at risk to be overlooked.

Before you answer, please read all the definitions carefully. You may find some crimes missing, if so please indicate this in a post, but be aware that the number of options in a poll is limited to 10 (a board limit), thus e.g. attempts cannot be included in this poll.

So despite the fact that a guy pointed a f&*cking sniper rifle at us one day coming off the Illia, since we (and the car beside us) jumped the light and got away without being shot at, killed, thrown out of our car, or potentially raped and beaten, I cannot list this as being a victim of a crime since it was an unsuccessful attempt!?

Damn, too bad he didn't kill us, then we would have been able to put it down as us having been victims of a crime.

And yes, this did happen, about 2 months ago, broad daylight on a sunday.

 

[John.St]

So despite the fact that a guy pointed a f&*cking sniper rifle at us one day coming off the Illia, since we (and the car beside us) jumped the light and got away without being shot at, killed, thrown out of our car, or potentially raped and beaten, I cannot list this as being a victim of a crime since it was an unsuccessful attempt!?

Damn, too bad he didn't kill us, then we would have been able to put it down as us having been victims of a crime.

And yes, this did happen, about 2 months ago, broad daylight on a sunday.

If you can show me how to get more than ten option in a poll with a (board decided) limit of ten options, I can include attempts.

After the conclusion of this poll, I intend to start another one with attempts + scams as far as the ten options limit allows.

 

[John.St]

We have now reached 79 respondents, 41 whom have not been victims of a crime in BsAs.

Of the incidences, 39 have been petty crimes - a nuisance but still something one can live reasonably relaxed with.

The unspecified 10 crimes are possibly in the same category (if not, tell us what happened).

11 crimes were potentially dangerous, and an unpleasant number of 2 crimes were actually life threatening.

percentages:
52% persons no crimes
48% persons have been victims

The crimes:
~ 48% (or possibly 61%) nuisances
~ 13% unknown
~ 14% potentially seriously dangerous
~ 2.5% life threatening

If you find it strange that it adds up to more than 100%, the explanation is that we count crimes, not respondents, and 38 unlucky respondents have been the victims of a total of 62 crimes.

Being an uncurable optimist I still hope that out of some 460 active members, we can reach century.

 

[RWS]

. . . . i saw a lady lifting [my friend's . . .] wallet out of her backpack. . . .

A lady? A lady? . . . .

You must forgive my compatriot (I assume that "arty" is an American). Perhaps because our upper classes are so small that most of us seldom if ever encounter them, we tend to label any woman a "lady" and any man a "gentleman". As a lawyer, I've even heard judges address brutish, convicted felons as "Mr."

 

[John.St]

You must forgive my compatriot (I assume that "arty" is an American). ... . As a lawyer, I've even heard judges address brutish, convicted felons as "Mr."

The Chinese have a saying: "A dog with money is Mister Dog".

 

[RWS]

And racist Brazilians aver that "money whitens."

Yep, we see every day what money can do. (The lack of it is no less powerful; how many Americans, Canadians, and Northwestern Europeans would be here if the cost of living were the same as at "home"?)

 

[John.St]

Getting closer to century - 83 respondents, 53% of whom have not personally been victims of crime and 47% who have - 17% of which crimes in the unpleasant department, not just nuisances.

Still hoping for at least 100 respondents!