Peruvian Crime Exaggerated?

I've been to Arequipa and Lima is worse. Actually, I feel safer walking around in Arequipa than Lima. There's more tranquility there.

In Lima there are more choke and hold muggings here, store employees scheme together to pick pocket you or clone your debit/credit card, vehicles (non tinted) are broken into so thieves can steal wallets, money, cd player faces (yes, just the panel!) and other things they think are worth value.

I think Arequipa and Lima are up to par with each other on the express taxi kidnappings. They kidnap women and tourists here just like they do in Arequipa.

I've personally been pick pocketed in public (distracted by an old lady, go figure), had my bank card cloned by a Ripley employee (bastards), had strange phone calls from BCP bank employees demanding my authorization code for a money transfer I received (they didn't get it), received weird phone calls from supposed Telefonica reps (too bad shouting kids in the background gave them away) and have been physically assaulted on a bus all within 2008.

Anyway, I guess it was bound to happen, I've been bouncing back and forth between the U.S. and Peru since 2005 so the honeymoon was over for me in 2008.

I have my own car now (limo tint) and I carry mace with me for protection.

You just have to learn to roll with the punches in Lima.

I think peruvians don't tend to exaggerate crime stats - though many of the foreign staff I employ often accuse peruvians of either being over protective or of exaggerating.

I think the thing is that foreigners go to a place, nothing happens, the usual 'crime signifiers' from back home may not be there, and yet still, nothing happens.  This is luck, and you really shouldn't extrapolate from that, that the place is safer than back home.  You're just luckier than you were back home.  So far.

Those little signs that a crime's brewing are different than the ones you used to spot back home. 

Personally, I listen to peruvian warnings, then go with my own instinct.  Peruvian people are warm hearted and can be over protective; but at the same time, they're not lying about the crime stats.  It's well worth listening.

HAving said that, there's not much crime in Amazonas.  We're two days bus ride from anywhere - where you gonna run to? Heh.

My son wrote on his Multiply blog about his honeymoon experience. Though living in Lima, they traveled by bus up north to Equador. Stopping in Trujillo, two men approached them. As the first man reached for my son's baggage, my son's new wife screamed at him. He caught the arm of the second guy whose hand was reaching into my son's pocket and bit--yes BIT him! Literally he "took a bite out of crime" that day.

I have been to Perú as a tourist quite a few times... and I have lived in Lima now for 7 months.  I have never had any problems with crime...but as others have said, I listen to what the Peruvians tell me.  I donŽt go to certain areas.  I donŽt go anywhere (besides to my job) alone.  Before getting in a taxi, I look in the front seat and in the trunk (of the station wagon type cars...) and always have my cell in my hand while in the taxi by myself. 

DonŽt be stupid... and be aware, and you should be fine.  I do think crime is exaggerated to an extent - but things do happen and you should be careful.

@ herveaub - agreed 100% with everything you said.

I think it's easy for us gringos to say it's exaggerated when we weren't there during the bad times with Sendero Luminoso, and when we're not prime targets for kidnappings like the upper-class limeños are.

While it wasn't appalling, I got the impression Lima is much different than Arequipa in this respect. Especially Callao! My not-so-dramatic story about Callao.