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Getting robbed a gunpoint or kinfe point, pick pocketed, have your home broken into, etc. happen in Brazil, Europe, the USA and the rest of the world.   We need to be careful and stay attentive no matter where we are.  Crime research shows that most of the robberies, muggings, etc. occur in the slums in Brazil, and most of the victims are residents.

Stay sharp, pay attention, anywhere in the world, and you will go a long way to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

Cheers, Douglas

Hi Baz,

Sorry to hear about your bad experience here in Brazil. Unfortunately crime happens everywhere, not just in Brazil. You need only ask anyone who has gone to New York City how many people get mugged in Central Park or a Londoner how many people get pickpocketed in the Underground stations and trains.

I've been living in Brazil for ten years in various cities and also have travelled extensively bus and air here. During all this time I have never been the victim of any kind of crime, nor have any of the foreigners that I have met. I have a few Brazilian friends however that have not been so fortunate.

I remember one time in Guarulhos Airport, the busiest in the country, that through my own lack of attention my camera bag went missing. I was desparate, but when I went to security to report it missing there it was. Someone had found it and turned it over to a security agent.

Most petty crimes in Brazil, as in most other countries, are crimes of opportunity. If you aren't attentive or if you put your valuables "on display" chances are you will make yourself a victim. If you take basic precautions, don't leave items unattended and don't flash your money or valuable objects like cameras, notebooks and jewelry you will probably never have a problem. The average Brazilian citizen is as honest as they are in any other country, despite the negative reports and jokes made by a few foreigners.

Don't let one negative experience ruin your enjoyment of Brazil. Examine the incident, ask yourself "what did I do that I maybe should have done differently?" Most likely you will see that you could have prevented your bag being nicked by having been more alert or doing something differently. Unless of course it was snatched right out of your hands the outcome would likely have been something completely different had you taken precautions.

Regards,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator

Thanks for your comments guys.

To be honest when I got robbed in Quito it was probably my fault, wrong place wrong time, but in Rio it was different. I was sitting on my own in a cafe, early in the morning with a few families around, when a kid tapped me on the shoulder. He handed me over a note and motioned that I'd dropped it. I took the note, a bit suspicious, and left it on the table. A couple of seconds later I realised that someone else had nicked my bag. You could say it was partly my fault, but they knew what they were doing. They were professional criminals.

Another time in Brazil a beggar ripped my watch clean off my wrist after I handed him over a banana. He was desperate of course, and I don't think I could have done much. It was a cheap watch, but it was scary.

I loved Brazil though, such great people and amazing times. Appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

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