Reflections On Crime.

[Mano Negra]

Well finally, after 17 years here on and off, someone finally stuck a pistol in my face today. Actually 2 guys, 2 pistols, with 2 more guys in back up. I heard a lot of noise on the stairs, shouts of voy arriba, voy arriba. Obviously I didn't watch enough Miami Vice as a kid. I thought they were furniture movers coming up the stairs. Actually they were cops, guns drawn, put me up against the wall, frisked me. They clearly thought I looked a bit scruffy to live in such a salubrious place. I've practiced the trapito look, especially if I am carrying a large amount of cash, as I was today. The robbers might not get me but the police had problems believing me. Turns out the robbers, 2 men and a woman, were much more smartly dressed than me. Robbed an office on the ground floor waving guns and escaped. Later I was chatting to my mate Diego who has the Chino on the corner. He was robbed on Monday night. He gave them the money. They left (obviously with the money).

It makes you think. I always used to go with the mantra that organised crime is a lot better than disorganised crime for the uninvolved. Similarly a professional robber is infinitely preferably to a drunken or drug wired alternative. In many cities in the UK it is much more dangerous to walk down the street after pub closing because you can't just give them money and walk away. They want a fight, not cash.

So, I can't tell you how quickly the police turned up because so far I'm not sure exactly when the crime happened. I can tell you three cars of teams arrived, guns drawn ready to catch the perpetrators. They actually seemed pretty professional (at least they didn't shoot me), given they were up against armed criminals. They were obviously coming up the stairs thinking there was some genuine risk to their lives.

My thoughts? Well, we know there is insecurity and what is most shocking to us is most criminals use guns. But actually, compared to the world I know, very few people get hurt. For you yanks, I actually think that would change if we all had guns to fire back.

So not a nice experience, and less nice for the people that were actually robbed. But strangely despite the guns, none of the victims really thought they were going to get shot.

 

[Canick]

The fact you had police there at all is a miracle.
glad you ok.
where did this happen?

 

[Crema Americana]

Sorry to hear,.. it must have been a scary experience.

At least no one was harmed. Hopefully they catch the culprit.

 

[scotttswan]

My thoughts? Well, we know there is insecurity and what is most shocking to us is most criminals use guns. But actually, compared to the world I know, very few people get hurt. For you yanks, I actually think that would change if we all had guns to fire back.

So not a nice experience, and less nice for the people that were actually robbed. But strangely despite the guns, none of the victims really thought they were going to get shot.

Its not nice to experience crime anywhere and it really leaves you shaken for a while. It does pass after a while but you never forget.

I think that adding more guns to the situation would help no one.

 

[JamJam]

Glad to hear your ok.

Perhaps, as suggested by one of the USAers here, you should have tried to tazer them? I'm sure it would have all worked out fine and you'd still be here to tell us the story.

 

[Gringoboy]

Sorry to hear about this mate.
A little confused though....who shoved the guns in your face? The Fuzz or the Robbers?
It's not a fun experience.

 

[Jaredberryman]

I'm glad you were not hurt. That is definitely not always the case. Even organized criminals in Argentina are incredibly cruel and do not care a bit about human life. Since the punishment for criminals is so lax, most criminals do not care if they take a life. If they are caught, there is a good chance they'll be back out on the streets anyways. There have been so many stories lately of people that are shot at or killed that did not resist, and not just by drug junkies, either. Crime is a serious, serious problem right now in Argentina. It is really getting out of hand. If something isn't done soon, Argentina is going to turn into South Africa. It's a complicated problem that, of course, is intertwined with all the poverty in Argentina. It's one thing if someone steals your stuff--that can always be replaced. But it's quite another when they kill you when you don't even resist. This is why some people have begun to resist criminals when they are robbed--because they are afraid that they will get killed anyway, so they attempt to resist armed robbers to save their own lives. Some Argentines have begun to think along the lines of--the police and the government and the justice system do not protect me, so I better take things into my own hands. Not a good thing.

The fact that the police were there so quickly makes me suspicious that the police were involved in the theft itself. Everyone here needs to be extra careful with the police and mistrustful. The police are less corrupt than they used to be, but they are still very corrupt. I for one do not trust them. It's unfair for the honest policeman, but that's just the way it is.

 

[AngelinBA]

The fact that the police were there so quickly makes me suspicious that the police were involved in the theft itself. Everyone here needs to be extra careful with the police and mistrustful. The police are less corrupt than they used to be, but they are still very corrupt. I for one do not trust them. It's unfair for the honest policeman, but that's just the way it is.

Either that or the office that was robbed is big, important or has lots of money. Police respond well to that, too.

 

[Mano Negra]

Sorry to hear about this mate.
A little confused though....who shoved the guns in your face? The Fuzz or the Robbers?
It's not a fun experience.

The cops mistaking me for a robber.

 

[Mano Negra]

Its not nice to experience crime anywhere and it really leaves you shaken for a while. It does pass after a while but you never forget.

I think that adding more guns to the situation would help no one.

I can't say it was a scary experience, more surprising, but then again I wasn't the victim of the robbery. The fact that the police mistook me for a robber does make me think my strategy for passing as an Argentine is pretty successful jajaja.

I couldn't agree more that adding more guns would help no one. The vast majority of robberies leave no one injured and are quite professionally carried out. More guns would just make robbers more nervous and more twitchy and lead to a greater incidence of triggers actually getting pulled. While I take on board peoples reservations regarding the police, in this case it was a small office in Alto Palermo getting robbed (so not much in the way of loot to go round), 3 squads turned up, and as I say seemed pretty professional clearing the building. I doubt they will catch the perpetrators though as they don't have much to go on.