How Safe Is Ba?

[Zemalla]

Hello everyone! Am planning to move to Argentina, BA by end of this year. I know that Latin America is not the safest place in general, but I hear from some people, that Buenos Aries is very dangerous place to live...
I would highly appreciate to hear your experiences on this matter.
Thanks in advance!!

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Hi Zemalla,

There have been a lot of threads on this. After 2 or 3 posts those threads devolve into arguments, fights, and name-calling about whether Buenos Aires is "safe" or "un-safe." Use the search function at the top of the page to find those and see if you can find anything useful for yourself.

My experience: I've been here 8 years and I don't walk around fearing for my safety. I do keep a close eye on my cell phone when I'm in the street and I don't wear my expensive watches. Petty crime like pickpockets and such is probably your biggest issue here. Like any big city muggings, home invasions, car jackings, and murder are also possible.

For reference I would put the chance of pickpockets and cell-phone / jewelry snatches higher than Philadelphia (where I'm from) but the more serious crimes about equal.

GS

 

[HenryNisental]

Listen, BA is no better or worse than other world capital cities, like Mexico, Rio or Madrid. All you have to do to avoid trouble is to keep a low profile, no ostentation of expensive jewelry, electronics, etc.
Also avoid the typical tourist areas where some opportunistic criminals operate.

 

[HenryNisental]

Listen, BA is no better or worse than other world capital cities, like Mexico, Rio or Madrid. All you have to do to avoid trouble is to keep a low profile, no ostentation of expensive jewelry, electronics, etc.
Also avoid the typical tourist areas where some opportunistic criminals operate.

 

[Rich One]

Pickpockets and petty thefts are a minor concern . But violent armed break into appts , carjacking, kidnappings for ransom, hold ups in restaurants in Palermo, are my concern, Do I care about Detroit??? NO!!!!

 

[Davidglen77]

I would say it's probably on par with other large cities at this point in time. However the big difference here is that if you are the victim of a crime, the police can't / won't do anything to help you, unless of course you need medical attention, which you will recieve for little or no cost. Few if any robbery / assault type crimes are investigated. It's hard to blame the police though, they earn a very low salary and recieve no support from the government. Fighting / preventing crime is one of this governments LOWEST priorities and few resources are dedicated to this purpose. I fear that crime will increase in the short term as a recession is looming and that unfortunately leads people to take desperate measures.

 

[Matiasba]

its true that the Argentina governement do not invest in repressing crime. They believe instead that the best way to finish crime is preventing, like huge social plans, social inclusion to the muggers, like programes to make them go to school or other activities (the latest example is PROGRESAR). The city government, on contrary, invests a lot on repressing with I would say the same results.


Buenos Aires is by far the safest of the big cities in Latin America.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Hi Zemalla,

There have been a lot of threads on this. After 2 or 3 posts those threads devolve into arguments, fights, and name-calling about whether Buenos Aires is "safe" or "un-safe." Use the search function at the top of the page to find those and see if you can find anything useful for yourself.

My experience: I've been here 8 years and I don't walk around fearing for my safety. I do keep a close eye on my cell phone when I'm in the street and I don't wear my expensive watches. Petty crime like pickpockets and such is probably your biggest issue here. Like any big city muggings, home invasions, car jackings, and murder are also possible.

For reference I would put the chance of pickpockets and cell-phone / jewelry snatches higher than Philadelphia (where I'm from) but the more serious crimes about equal.

GS

In 2013, Philadelphia (population 1.5 million) had 247 homicides: http://tinyurl.com/osfbt6p

In 2012, Buenos Aires (population 3 million) had 158 homicides: http://tinyurl.com/k63m2j2

Firearms are far more abundant in Philadelphia than Buenos Aires.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

its true that the Argentina governement do not invest in repressing crime. They believe instead that the best way to finish crime is preventing, like huge social plans, social inclusion to the muggers, like programes to make them go to school or other activities (the latest example is PROGRESAR). The city government, on contrary, invests a lot on repressing with I would say the same results.


Buenos Aires is by far the safest of the big cities in Latin America.

Actually, I agree with Matías that Buenos Aires is a relatively safe city but, anecdotally, I consider Santiago safer. "Social inclusion" programs have zero to do with Buenos Aires's safety. Nor do the police, who are either inept or a bunch of thugs.

For all its problems, Argentina remains a relatively law-abiding society with regard to personal safety, but one should always remain aware of his or her surroundings. Most crimes are property crimes or crimes of opportunity.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Zemalla, see what I mean?