Danger in beautiful places 2

February 2013

Peru has had a few years of relative political stability, and with that has also come a period where they have to some extent managed to crack-down on crime, making the country a safer place. There are still hotspots, particularly in remote border areas where they are fighting drug trafficking, (apparently things are getting tougher in some neighbouring countries so they are looking at Peru as a softer option!) and tourists are always being told to be vigilant in South America. Any large city the world over has an element of danger, as there is always a vast difference between the haves and have-not, poverty is extreme and life is cheap – there is no organised welfare system like many developed countries, so if you are unemployed you are often homeless and food-less, and robbery and mugging is often a result of desperation.

The recent rape near Trujillo, in broad daylight, was a worrying incident, but one alone doesn't necessarily indicate a trend back into lawlessness. However this week we had the following story about car robberies in Lima taking place in broad daylight in heavy traffic. Taxi drivers are increasingly becoming a target for attacks as the criminals believe that people travelling by taxi must be wealthy and have something of value worth stealing, and the drivers are also carrying money themselves from their fares.

As appears to be the case so often in South America “the police know who is responsible” but seem unable to actually catch them! There are always rumours going round that the police are being paid to turn a blind eye, or that they are not prepared to risk their lives chasing desperate criminals, but it is more probable that lack of funding means they are over-stretched and do not have sufficient resources. I really hope that these are isolated incidents, as I do like Peru – the people are very friendly, the cost of living is reasonable (by Western standards!), and the way of life suits me at this time in my life.