I keep up with a couple news blogs in Panama, and I just read this morning that the former Minister of Health in Panama was recently the victim of a home invasion robbery. Another article from the same blog explains that it is projected that the small Republic of Panama could see more than 1,000 murders this year, mainly related to drug trafficking.
Crime is a problem everywhere, but the risks can be particularly real for foreigners traveling and living abroad. As a tourist abroad, you may be carrying important documents such as a passport. More generally, when traveling anywhere you may carry larger quantities of cash. As you may be unfamiliar with the city or country, you may also be more likely to find yourself in a "bad neighborhood" where you stand out even more than usual. This also applies to you ex-pats living abroad (see my post about why you are still clearly a gringo).
You may also be partying and drinking more when you are on vacation. For example, there was the time several years ago that a guy punched me and took my money in New Orleans. That was in my own Country, but the point is that I might have prevented the whole thing by not having too much to drink and wandering off away from my friends. Then there when I was in college that I went to Uruguay, and while I was out partying I ended up losing my Northface jacket and my parents' digital camera. That wasn't a robbery, but the end result was the same - drink a little too much and you may end up without your stuff!! It was also a difficult phone call to my parents the next day...
Here in Buenos Aires, street muggings happen fairly often to tourists and locals alike. It is sort of a negative down-side to balance out all the cheap beer, delicious beef, and beautiful women. I have never been mugged here in Argentina, but about 5 years ago some kids cornered me and a friend at night and tried to take our money. They were not showing any weapons and just walked off when we started yelling and making a scene. Luckily, we were able to get out of that without losing our cash and without anyone getting hurt.
I was mugged once in Panama, though. I was with my girlfriend at the time, and we were in one of the nicest, upcoming areas of Panama City (see Punta Pacifica). The company I used to work for kept a condo there, and we had decided to stay in the condo for the weekend. It was only about 8:30 at night, and we were walking toward a mall just a few blocks away to eat dinner and catch a movie. We were crossing a little bridge when a young kid only about 16 or 17 years old stepped out from behind a wall where he had been hiding. I was in the habit of carrying a small pocket-knife, because I spent a lot of my work-day on a construction site, and I slowly took the knife out of my pocket. When the kid ran in front of us and grabbed my ex-girlfriend's purse, I also latched onto the purse and held the knife poised and ready to use it somehow. I do not suggest that this was a smart move, but this is how it happened...
In the few seconds that the three of us stood there holding onto the purse, a number of different options and thoughts ran through my mind. Should I cut his arm in hopes that he just will go away? But what if he DOESN'T go away? What if he has a gun? Maybe I should use the knife in a way that would cause more damage... but what if I end up killing the kid? What happens then?? I had a decision to make, but I also had to think about my girlfriend who was also at risk and who would also be affected by whatever I chose to do in that moment.
Suddenly, 2 other guys ran up who were in cahoots with the kid trying to rob the purse. One of them said in Spanish, "What is that in his hand? It's a knife! Its an f*cking knife!" That was when I realized that kid holding onto the purse also had a large shard of metal in his other hand - also poised and ready to strike. The kid said very calmly, "Ey, te voy a matar... te voy a matar..." Basically, he was warning me that this was going to get really ugly if I didn't let go of the purse, and that is ultimately what I did. The three kids took off running with my girlfriend's purse and everything that it had inside it - house keys, her ID, both of our cell phones, and about $90 cash. We filed a "report" with the local police, which was a complete waste of time.
For several months after it happened, the whole encounter would sometimes keep me up all night. I'd think about it and get so angry, and I would wonder if I should have used that knife I had in my hand. In the end, I know that I made the right decision. Here is an article from the same blog about a former Navy SEAL who was murdered in Panama City during a home invasion robbery about 2 years ago.
The reality is that if you spend enough time in Latin America, it is quite possible that you could fall victim to some sort of crime. I think the best advice I can offer is that unless you are James Bond, you are probably a lot better off just letting the guy with the weapon take what he is after. This is a hit to your ego, I know - but you can be sure that he has had a lot more time than you to plan and to think about the different ways that this thing could play out. While you are debating your options, he may just get antsy and elevate the situation to a new level.
Crime can be an unfortunate side effect of putting yourself out there in the world, but not everyone gets robbed. Of course, there are common sense things you can do to minimize the chances of it happening to you. You can try not to be out alone in the streets at night. You can make an effort to stick to more familiar, safer areas. If I am out in the street at night by myself, I usually try to put a really mean, dangerous sneer on my face. The kind of look that suggests toughness... that I may be the one more likely to rob YOU and then use your money to take your girlfriend to a fancy dinner followed by a sleazy hotel. It is difficult to say whether my ruthless sneer has ever scared away some would-be mugger, but it is probably a fair assumption that this strategy makes absolutely no difference whatsoever.
In the case that you do get robbed, you can minimize the damage by carrying a minimal amount of cash, by leaving your credit cards in a safe place, and by making a photocopy of your passport to carry in lieu of the original. Finally, even if you ARE James Bond - don't drink so damn much, gringo!
This has been a public service announcement.
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