A tourist was assaulted near plaza de Mayo and will lose his leg

That’s far enough from Plaza de Mayo to be off the usual tourist path. I’ve never felt particularly threatened there, but have noticed that there usually aren’t many people on the streets. And that’s during the daytime. I’d guess it would be a fairly deserted place by 10 pm.

This news story is tragic.

Of course it is shameful, especially for me.

I always recommend the tourists not to show any map in those dangerous streets. Although I know that the look of a Swedish person here, always tell the prospective thief that he is a tourist.

It is high time that the police will act with harsh rule to the motochorros or any other variety of thiefs. I am for the rigorous practice done in Singapore.

Quote from Carlos

It is high time that the police will act with harsh rule to the motochorros or any other variety of thiefs. I am for the rigorous practice done in Singapore.

Law enforcement in Singapore is so strict, for such minor infractions, that applying the same standards in Argentina would remove a lot of the joie de vivre that sustains the country.

But regarding actual crime, Argentina would better protect non-criminals if the police weren’t permitted (rewarded?) to ignore crimes reported and those committed before their very eyes.

The good new is that BA is in the 2nd. place of safety, after Santiago de Chile, among all others cities of Latin America. Tha bad new is that 50 years ago we were the safest in all Latin America.

I remember that in the 1950´s decade we left our house without any guard during three months in the holidays (January to March) and we never have been robbed.

Quote from Carlos

The good new is that BA is in the 2nd. place of safety, after Santiago de Chile, among all others cities of Latin America. Tha bad new is that 50 years ago we were the safest in all Latin America.

I remember that in the 1950´s decade we left our house without any guard during three months in the holidays (January to March) and we never have been robbed.

It's only good if it is actually a safe city or just a polished turd. Being first or second means nothing if the city is still unsafe. I find BA to be weird in terms of safety. I mean, we are hardly fearful for our lives day to day, but there is always that lingering chance something could go very wrong at any moment, and anywhere. I have never had that feeling in Europe for example, not even in London with all its recent problems.

Crime figures can be deceptive so I'm not sure how accurate they are when comparing country to country.

Although I personally wouldn't like to live there permanently I must admit I always felt pretty safe in the capital. That was until an idiot tried and failed miserably to pickpocket me on the subway....the only time I have been on it funnily enough.

My wife is actually more safety conscience than me when we're in BA. She refuses to go out during the hours of darkness unless we have to and always calls a Radio Taxi first. She's a small town country girl which probably explains that.

Where we live there are police everywhere on the streets....judging by their age it looks to me as if it's some sort of job creation scheme. They're normally to be seen standing in pairs playing with their phones and smoking. Quite frightening to see them wearing guns to be honest.

Best of it is, while doing this motorbikes are passing by them with riders not wearing helmets....some even using the pavement as a road. I'm surprised the crime rate isn't higher to be honest.

Maybe it is just the rate of reported crimes that is low?

It makes me uneasy to see young policemen with guns, as I wonder how well trained they are and how good their judgement is. But it also infuriates me that the police are willfully blind to crimes. I wish Argentina would revamp their entire law enforcement system.

There is now a trend fueled by the government to harsh the penalties of the thiefs and provide the policemen to use the Tasser electrical pistols, which can stop an escaping thief ot murderer without killing him. Also it can be used when there are many people in a small space, as if the shot hurted some innocent, he/she will not die or be hurted. Many pro guarantists politicians are against it. And all of you know the weakness of this government, as it lacks majority in the Parliament.

Due to our tradition of military order in the former dictatorships, there is a feeling that "order and control" are a way to praise those methods used by the dictators. Anyway, I have experimented by myself in the 1970's the control of the military and never have had a problem, even if they asked me documents and to stop the car. I understood that this control was necessary in those times.

I believe that the increasing number of tourists that we are receiving now, due to the relative low cost for the foreigners, deserves us to increase the security of all the cities and places where the tourist are staying, (not only the tourists, of course).

Quote from serafina

However, I have always told my husband that the day something happens to either of us, I am out of here.

But surely no place worth living in is 100% safe? I am curious - are you compiling a list of desirable places for your backup plan?

Quote from Rice

It makes me uneasy to see young policemen with guns, as I wonder how well trained they are and how good their judgement is. But it also infuriates me that the police are willfully blind to crimes. I wish Argentina would revamp their entire law enforcement system.

I get the impression they aren't well trained at all...at least not the ones I see on show. Doesn't make sense to put rookie police out on duty together when the normal on the job training method is to pair them up with someone that has more experience. I could be wrong but it makes me think it's all just a publicity exercise.

Quote from UK Man

I get the impression they aren't well trained at all...at least not the ones I see on show. Doesn't make sense to put rookie police out on duty together when the normal on the job training method is to pair them up with someone that has more experience. I could be wrong but it makes me think it's all just a publicity exercise.

That’s a disquieting thought.

To be fair I'm just guessing.

And...no matter how good a police force you have there will always be a section of society who have no respect for the law or the general public. Plenty of those type of people exist in the UK despite there being a well trained police force.

Quote from UK Man

To be fair I'm just guessing.

And...no matter how good a police force you have there will always be a section of society who have no respect for the law or the general public. Plenty of those type of people exist in the UK despite there being a well trained police force.

True. But surely the numbers grow when the police get the general reputation of ineptitude. And perhaps being told not to act on crimes.

Quote from Rice

True. But surely the numbers grow when the police get the general reputation of ineptitude. And perhaps being told not to act on crimes.

This is the policy of the guarantists judges, put into action since the Kirchner's government.

That theory assumes that the thiefs and murderers are there because of the unfairness of the economic system, so they are nor really guilty. The victim is normally a person who, in one sense or other, has been previously benefited by the system. (Tit fot tat!)

However, this policy has not been ruled in Cuba, of course.

Quote from Carlos

This is the policy of the guarantists judges, put into action since the Kirchner's government.

That theory assumes that the thiefs and murderers are there because of the unfairness of the economic system, so they are nor really guilty. The victim is normally a person who, in one sense or other, has been previously benefited by the system. (Tit fot tat!)

However, this policy has not been ruled in Cuba, of course.

It’s bizarre that there is no public outcry, isn’t it?