Common Crimes in Caracas

Calgary is definitively a safe city, since I came here I’ve enjoyed to have my cellphone on my hands while I’m sitting on the public transport, although you may think it’s not a big deal, that’s a very important thing for me because in my home city I can´t do that. The insecurity of people and their belongings is a common thing in Venezuela, and go out in the streets is totally a challenge for all citizens; for the smallest things like buy bread in a bakery or taking cash on the bank. In Caracas the most common crimes are kidnappings, vehicle robbery, robbery of jewelry stores and food stores and purses robbery while the people are walking on the street. A really common crime is the complicity whit a bank issuer and some person outside the bank, a simple person (thief) on the street. First, the bank client goes to the bank and decides to make a withdrawal of a big amount of cash; during all of this, the bank issuer text the thief about the bank transaction that the person is doing. Second, the bank issuer gives an accurate description of how the client is dressed, how the client looks like, and warns of the exactly cash amount withdrawn and the time that client leaves the bank, so by the time that the client is on the street again the thief immediately stalk her/his and asks about the exact amount that she/he just removed from the bank, and threatens her/him with a knife or gun; obviously, the victim to save his life, prefers to give money and keep an easy situation.

On the other hand, I don’t know in a deep way about the Calgary’s crimes, but based on what I read on the newspaper, I’ve noticed several murders with knives. Finally, I believe that there are many ways to avoid crime in generally speaking, like don’t walking through dark streets, avoid being late at night on the streets, and be aware of our belongings and the people around us.