The following is the next installment of our
collaboration (with Born Again Brazilian) on staying safe in São Paulo.
If you think that residing in a number of big
cities had made you street smart enough to survive any situation, you may want to take a quick look at this. Manhattan or Chicago living is not the bare-faced reality of
São Paulo daily crime.
São Paulo is an exciting
place to be, but with such a vast and diverse population, you are bound to have
a higher percentage of bad guys than other places. Common crimes include:
- Being robbed by a motoboy who can make a quick getaway.
- Lockdown at a restaurant where the entrance will be blocked by armed men while the other criminals collect the belonging of patrons.
- Carjacking, that could include a “flash” kidnapping during which you are forced to drain your bank account at the nearest ATM.
As mentioned in part I of our security posts, professional criminals pretty much want to get in and out. They don’t want to
kill you, or even spend too much time with you. They just want what you have
and be on their way. But a new crop of criminals has surfaced, ones that are a
bit more dangerous. So your best line of defense is to totally avoid being in a
situation that will put you on the other side of a weapon. So, first let’s look
at some rules to abide by to avoid being in an incident. At the end these key
rules, we will look at how you should react if you do find yourself a victim.
Key rules for incident
avoidance:
Rule #1: Avoid drawing large sums of money from an
ATM or teller.
It is very possible you are
being targeted when you extract cash from your bank. Whether it is someone from
the street or an inside job, it happens enough to assume a position of
paranoia. If you need to pay someone, do so via bank transfer, a transaction
you can do from home online. If you have a household employee who claims they
don’t have an account, make them open one. It is better for both parties. If
you need to pay a vendor or store, and they don’t take a credit or debit card,
they will most likely take a Brazilian check (more commonly than other
countries these days).
Rule #1b: Be unpredictable in your habits.
I’m adding this as 1b
because as we’ve mentioned, criminals have time to study. This is their
full-time job. If you go to the bank every Thursday at 10 am to withdraw money
from your US account, someone is going to figure that out. Sooner than you
think. If you usually walk to the shops and back by a certain route, vary it
once in a while. This will hold true for car driving as well (next post).
Rule #2: Avoid eating out late at night, especially
on a side street or more remote location.
It is always best to stay at
home or in a secured location, like a friend’s house or a club when 10 p.m.
rolls around. But if you need to eat on the street at this hour, go to a place
that is well populated. Not just with people, but with other businesses.
Rule #3: Avoid keeping any item of a recognizable
luxury brand or sparkly gems on your person while walking the streets.
Your desire to impress
shouldn’t outweigh your need to stay safe. Criminals go for brands and jewels
they know they can move quickly – Rolex, Louis Vuitton, diamonds… If you just
can’t go out without being expensively dressed, at least cover yourself in
something so sophisticated a petty criminal wouldn’t recognize it. Yes, we know
your Brazilian girlfriends don’t follow this rule. They are Brazilian. You are
not.
Rule #4: If you must drive a luxury car, you’re going
to want a blindado.
The best way to avoid being
carjacked is to not drive a fancy car. But if you are not willing to lower your
standards, at least get it bulletproofed. This service is expensive and also
means extra spending on gas because it makes the vehicle heavier. Also, there
are various types of blindado that
range in price and protection, so ask a lot of questions, including what type
of gun will the proofing protect from.
Rule #5: Don’t look lost.
There is such a thing as
looking like a victim. Don’t wander around an unfamiliar neighborhood staring
into your iPhone as you try and determine your location. It is a recipe to be
robbed.
Rule #6: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
There were recently a string
of crimes involving criminals who were well-dressed and well-spoken. If a
well-dressed man knocks on your window and appears to want to ask for directions,
don’t roll down the glass. Shake your head and say “desculpe.” Or a woman with
a possibly expensive purse approaches your car in the parking lot, jump in
quickly and lock the doors if you don’t want to wind up in your own trunk while
she shops with your credit cards.
Rule #7: Don’t attract attention by speaking English
or other foreign language loudly. The
Brazilian currency gets weak. That means that foreigners (rich or no) begin to
look better as money sources.
Rule #8: Think carefully about giving expensive
electronics to children
We’ll cover this more in
School Smarts, but there has been a recent spate in kids being mugged outside
of schools. They are getting robbed of iPhones and iPads and other electronics.
Think long and hard if your kid might be a target by having the latest
technology. Make sure your kids know how to react.
Rule #9: If you think someone looks suspicious, they
probably ARE suspicious.
Duck into a shop or busy
place until the risk moves on. If it doesn’t, call 190 and ask them to check
out the situation.
Rule #10: Beware of the “distract and rob” strategy.
As many know, our husbands are
Brazilian. That does not make them immune in any way. In an attempt to be
helpful when someone asked for directions, my husband was facing one way
towards the person asking for help, while the accomplice stole his laptop from
behind. Hold onto your stuff if you are asked for directions or seem to be
getting the run-around.
And let me pull out Rule
Zero. The overall rule of life in the big city. BE AWARE. Always, everywhere. A criminal may be hanging out on a
street looking for potential quick hit victims. If you are “present”, looking
around and really looking at people, with electronics and valuables hidden and
purse tight to your body, he is going to choose someone else. The someone who
is checking her iPhone, paying no attention, checking out her nails. Be less
interesting than the next person; be less of a victim than the next
person. That being said, no matter what
you do and whose advice you follow, something bad may happen. Be prepared for
it: do not fight back.
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| Don't do this. I mean the phone; the dress seems nice. |
What should you do if you
find yourself on the business end of a weapon:
Realize, first of all, that
your assailant may be on drugs and have his decision-making impaired. Even if not, the assailant really does not want
a surprise. Move slowly and cooperate with his requests. If facing the
criminal, raise your hands open-faced in front of you at waist level to show
you have nothing in your hands. Do not raise hands above head as this attracts
attention and the criminal does not want attention.
If you speak no or little Portuguese, say
immediately “não falo portugues” (sounds like “no follow por-too-Gaze”). This
will alert the criminal that you might not be following instructions because
you do not understand, not because you are resisting. If they are asking for a
wallet, or cell phone, point slowly to the pocket where it is and tell them you
are going to get it slowly. Tell them what you are doing before doing it. Say
“Te dou tudo” (“Chee dough too-doo” I am giving you everything). Try and stay
calm.
This is the most important
point. DO NOT RESIST GIVING UP ANYTHING. If they want your engagement ring,
give it to them. If they want your Rolex, give it to them. Your wallet, your
purse, your MacAir, your tablet, your car, whatever. Your life is not worth the
replacement value of stuff. You have no replacement. Do not resist. Resistance will
make the criminal incredibly unhappy.
I was counseled by a
military policeman to always carry at least R$200 (about US$100 or less) on me, in cash,
all the time. It is an amount of money that will satisfy the small time
criminal that wants an easy hit. If you only have R$2 in your wallet, they
might get mad. Do not make them mad.
Do not look the criminal in
the eye. They do not want to be identified. If there is a tattoo on an arm or
hand, or distinctive clothing, do try to remember that. The police have an
impressive file of identifying tattoos for criminals in this city. Do not take
a risk in trying to memorize stuff. It may be helpful in the police report but
is not worth risking your life.
At a recent security
presentation by the military police, the captain gave the following sobering
information:
Most of the crimes committed
today are to get quick money to buy drugs. Crimes are overwhelmingly committed
by 15-23 year olds. This is a group that places low value on life
---yours. And realize that the street
value of your stuff is low, even if you bought your iPhone for $700US or your
car for $100,000. Want to see how low?
The street value of various
items:
iPhone: $50 reais (US$20)
Car: $500 reais (US$210)
Bulletproofed car: $3000
reais (US$1000)
Laptop: $50 reais (US$20)
This is a volume business.
They need to rob many folks to get money.
Do not ever chase an
assailant. They could look back. They could get upset. They still have a gun.
Call 190 and ask for an English-speaking officer. Or ask someone for the closest
“delegacia de policia” to report the crime. Only by reporting crimes can the
police put officers on the street in the right areas.
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| 99Taxi |
Note on Technology:
Speaking of smartphones,
there is a time and place for their use. Technology that can help you stay safe
when you are out of your home is springing up daily. Just make sure you are
aware of your environment before you become engrossed in your phone.
Taxis: There are a number of
smartphone apps that can make travel by taxi safer and easier for those who do
not speak Portuguese. While I prefer to use my local taxi stand when I’m near
home, when you are around town, you may want to try one of the many apps:
99Taxi, Taxijá and EasyTaxi are three of the ones I have used. I have a slight
preference for 99Taxi because the drivers do not have to pay to use it (nor do
you). When you press a button to call a taxi electronically, when a taxi is
nearby, it will accept the call and you will be provided the name, the cell
phone, the license plate and make/model of the taxi, and estimated arrival time
of the taxi driver. You then can leave your secure location only when that
exact taxi has pulled up.
In addition, we are testing
three other safety apps called Agentto (for issuing panic alerts to an
established safe circle of friends and family), Cidade Legal, and Aster, which
is a private security service. We’ll update this information with our findings.
Next safety post we will
cover the topic of staying safe in your car. And briefly touch on public transportation
safety as well.
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