Rio and Security

Rio De Janeiro is infamous for its crime rate ... in fact, Brazil has one of the highest crime rates in the world. Makes one feel right at home :p

But the security tips listed in the guide books and the hostels, is, in my opinion, silly and downright misleading. The first tip: do not carry back packs, rather carry everything in plastic shopping bags, like the locals. But a quick observation in town soon shows that locals carry only shopping in their shopping bags, not cameras and the like. In fact, there are many locals carrying backpacks, briefcases and laptop bags. In my opinion, carrying your valuables a plastic shopping bag is a downright stupid idea. Firstly, shopping bags are transparent, and even when you use two, it is pretty easy to see what it is. Secondly, shopping bags are thin, and are hardly the most comfortable things to carry. Thirdly, tourists are really easy to identify: they are usually pale skinned gringos with a hint of sun burn, or failing that the fact that they usually do not speak the language like the locals or failing that, they are inevitably carrying maps and guide books. And if you are a thief, and you see a potential target carrying a shopping bag - are you not going to rob him because he is a local?

Another stupid tip: do not carry wallets or money belts - but rather hide your money in your bra (if you are a woman) or in your shoe (if you are a man). This is followed by a tip to dress like a local: bermudas, t-shirts and flip-flops. I guess guys should not carry money ... but in all seriousness, carrying money in your shoe has a number of other problems that I can think of. Firstly, Rio is a hot place - it is about 28 Degrees Celsius at night! On top of that, since it is next to the ocean, it is fairly humid too. So, putting money in your shoe means that it will get all sweaty and wet ... you might not get robbed, but you might not get to use the money either. Next, putting money in your shoe means getting money out of your shoe. While putting money in your shoe has it's positives - getting pick pocketed is harder - but putting all your money in your shoe? That's daft.

All said, I found Rio De Janeiro to be rather tame. The signs of high crime rates are there to see - windows have burglar bars, houses have alarms, cars have anti theft devices, there are electronic gates and doors. But, to be honest it is nothing in the levels of South Africa. People drive with their windows open. Burglar bars are not that common. Fences are short. Security guards for cash in transit vans carry pistols not automatic rifles.

And my hostel is in the centre of town, in an area very similar to Observatory in Cape Town. It is rated as one of the more unsafe areas of town - and I have walked around, at night, with no problems.

But then, I do that in South Africa too. Yes, Rio De Janeiro can be dangerous. But the danger is overblown out of proportion. However that does bring an interesting social observation - according to even locals, the favelas or the slums are like warzones, areas where the police fear to enter. However, that violence does not spill over. In South Africa, this is what used to be, before 1994. Violent crimes occurred more in the townships, and since 1994, crime has been, for that lack of a better word, been better distributed. Is the violence in Rio just waiting for its own liberation?