The crime here is really miniscule compared to the other countries in the region.

Yes, you read right! I have not gone off my rocker. Let me explain the title of this article. Proa, the Sunday magazine section of La Nación, had a cover story about crime in Latin America’s cities. The lengthy article mentions Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, Quito Ecuador and surprisingly Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Many of the Costa Rican on-line news groups in English talk about the rising crime in Costa Rica, especially in the capital city of San José. After reading the article the Sunday edition of La Nación, San José seems like paradise. The crime here is really miniscule compared to the other countries in the region.

Caracas, Venezuela now has the dubious distinction of being the most violent city in Latin America. There are 130 homicides per 100,000 people there. In the first third of this year there were 1,448 violent crimes in Caracas and 8,040 in the whole country. The kidnap rate is double that of Colombia. The worst part of this situation is that police are believed to be involved in 20 percent of all of the crimes.

Rio de Janeiro is also drowning in a sea of crime. There are now 73.2 murders per 100,000 people and last year 2,069 people were killed. There are nearly one thousand slums or favelas and all are controlled by drug gangs.

Crime in Mexico City is also out of control. Every day there are 547 crimes reported there. You can’t feel safe taking public transportation either. Between January and June of this year there were 1,997 crimes reported aboard buses, the subway and private taxis.

Lima , Peru also has its share of criminal activity. There are at least ten people robbed per day in taxis. Gangs like the colochos are also raising havoc among the citizens of the city. Lima now has a specialized police unit called El Comando “Robo Cop” to try and combat the crime problem.

Quito, Ecuador is riddled with crime. The government reports that 35.3 percent of the population have been victims of robbery and/or physical violence. In addition, 49.6 of all businesses have been affected by some type of robbery. I had a friend who was stabbed to death in his bar in Mata, Ecuador.

Even Argentina has been affected by the crime that is sweeping across many of Latin America’s cities. Besides an increase in all types of crime, violent car jackings are rampant.

In Central America San Salvador and Guatemala City are leaders the pack when it comes to violent crime. Over 150 bus drivers died last year in robberies in Guatemala City alone. El Salvador is rumored the highest homicide rate in Latin America. As if things were not bad enough in these countries, there are over 30,000 gang members in the area who are responsible of a large part of the violent crime.

San José, Costa Rica is not without crime. Fortunately it is nothing compared to the other countries in Central America or the rest of Latin America. I have lived Costa Rica for almost 30 years and have basically remained unscathed like most people foreigners know.

Crime is an important consideration when selecting a place to live south of the border. On my monthly relocation/retirement tours I am always asked about crime here and try to put it into perspective. I tell people, “I would not be living here if I thought that crime was out of control or my family was in danger.”

The U.S. Is probably as dangerous if not more in some ways as any of the cities I mention above.