US Embassy issues violent crime warning for Bogota

[rabs]

I cannot recall a similar warning for CARACAS, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Montevideo, Asuncion, La Paz, Quito, Lima and the other cities.

JuanMa Santos will not be pleased.

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The United States Embassy issued a travel warning to U.S. citizens about violent crime in Colombia, and more specifically Bogota.

The emergency message for U.S. nationals specified the affluent Zona Rosa, Zona T, and Parque 93 areas in northern Bogota as particularly susceptible to violent crime. According to the warning, many of these crimes occur between 11PM and 3AM.

The statement confirmed the violent attack of an embassy employee who was stabbed by three Colombians around the intersection of Calle 85 and Carerra 10. While the employee did not sustain life threatening injuries, the embassy would like to remind U.S. citizens about the "willingness of criminals to utilize violence to perpetrate their crimes."

In a separate incident, several embassy workers were the victims of robbery after they were drugged with scopolamine, a toxin used notably in Colombia.

The embassy recommended that U.S. citizens follow the restrictions of embassy employees to decrease their risk of violent crime. This includes sitting in sidewalk-adjacent exterior dining areas of cafes and restaurants and frequenting the “Galerias” District and the “Plaza de las Americas” District, which are off limits to embassy employees.

The warning also recommends that U.S. nationals avoid displaying valuables such as cell phones and ipods and also not to repeatedly attend well know ex-pat establishments. It also maintains warning not to hail taxis from the street, but rather to call a cab or request a taxi from a hotel.

To receive updates from the U.S. Embassy and Department of State about travel warnings in Colombia, register at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/index.aspx.


http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18246-us-embassy-issues-violent-crime-warning-for-bogota.html

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El Espectador article of today

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=es&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.elespectador.com%2Fnoticias%2Fbogota%2Farticulo-291133-eeuu-advierte-viajeros-zona-rosa-y-93-son-peligrosos

[gbscar]

1. Actually, official U.S. travel information on Caracas, Venezuela isn't too far removed from that.

See here:

CRIME: Venezuela and its capital, Caracas, are reported to both have among the highest per capita murder rates in the world. Most murders and other violent crimes go unsolved. Armed criminal gangs often operate with impunity throughout the urban areas. The poor neighborhoods that cover the hills around Caracas are extremely dangerous. These areas are seldom patrolled by police and should be avoided. Armed robberies are common in urban and tourist areas throughout Venezuela, even areas presumed safe and visited by tourists. Crimes committed against travelers are usually money-oriented crimes, such as theft and armed robbery. Incidents occur during daylight hours as well as at night. Many criminals are armed with guns or knives and will use force. Jewelry of all sorts, even inexpensive but flashy jewelry, and expensive electronics attract the attention of thieves. Travelers are advised to leave jewelry items, including expensive-looking wristwatches, at home. Gangs of thieves will often surround their victims and use a chokehold to disable them, even in crowded market areas where there is little or no police presence. Theft from hotel rooms and safe deposit boxes is a problem, and theft of unattended valuables on the beach and from rental cars parked near isolated areas or on city streets is a common occurrence. A guarded garage or locked trunk is not a guarantee against theft. Pickpockets concentrate in and around crowded bus and subway stations in downtown Caracas. Subway escalators are favored sites for "bump and rob" petty thefts by roving bands of young criminals. Many of these criminals are well dressed to allay suspicion and to blend in with crowds using the subways during rush hour. Travelers should not display money or valuables.

"Express kidnappings," in which victims are seized in an attempt to get quick cash in exchange for their release, are a problem. One common practice is for kidnappers to follow potential victims into building garages and kidnap them at gunpoint. Kidnappings of U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals from homes, hotels, unauthorized taxis and the airport terminal do occur, and are more frequently being reported to the embassy. “Virtual kidnappings,” in which scam surveys are conducted to collect contact information on minors, which is then used to call parents for ransoms without the children being taken, and “inside kidnappings,” in which domestic employees are being paid large sums of money for keys and information in order to enter and kidnap children for ransom, have also been reported to the embassy. U.S. citizens should be alert to their surroundings and take necessary precautions.

For more information:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1059.html

Of course, it is important to mention that both the text above and the referenced travel warning for U.S. citizens are mostly talking about common crime, not the type of political violence that is far more of a problem in Colombia than Venezuela or anywhere else in the region at large (which the U.S. embassy doesn't care about, among other reasons, because political violence only rarely targets U.S. visitors), but Caracas in particular isn't as safe as its inclusion among the other Latin American cities in your comparison would make it seem at first glance.

The main difference is the explicit mention of recent incidents directly involving U.S. embassy officials in Bogotá, not the general description of both situations. In fact, the two documents make many of the same points and suggest similar recommendations.

I must stress this doesn't make Bogotá's situation any better, mind you, nor am I jumping in here to say "it's all Chavez's fault" or anything like that. This just shows that both cities continue to be affected by significant risks in terms of armed robberies, street crime and many other related activities, which is what the U.S. Department of State is warning both citizens and officials about.

Santos certainly isn't going to be happy about this, but then again the travel warning is simply highlighting an existing problem that both Colombians and U.S. citizens have had to deal with for many years, even back when Uribe was pretending that everything was absolutely fine. That was never the case in terms of political violence and it's also not true as far as common crime is concerned either.

[rabs]

2. Another warning issued just last week

Thanks for the info on crime situation in Venezuela. We all know it is bad, but I will have to look for a recent emergency warning such as the one in Bogota.

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The warning below was issued this past Friday.

Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens: Colombia, Public Bus Security Reminder
Crime
Western Hemisphere > Colombia
8/5/2011
U.S. Embassy Bogota released the following Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens on August 5, 2011:

The U.S. Embassy would like to remind all U.S. citizens that the use of public buses can be dangerous. U.S. Embassy personnel are strictly prohibited from using public buses. Recently, two private American citizens were traveling on a public bus from Bogota to Cali when it was attacked by unidentified gunmen. The two American citizens were unharmed but the bus was burned and they lost all their personal belongings during the incident. The U.S Embassy discourages the use of public buses. We encourage the use of radio-dispatched taxi companies as opposed to hailing taxis on the street.

You can stay in touch and get Embassy updates by checking the Embassy website, found here. You can also get global updates at the U.S. Department of State's, Bureau of Consular Affairs website where you can find the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information. If you don't have internet access, we have a call center for updates--1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

You can contact the American Citizen Services Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, via e-mail at [e-mail] or by telephone at [phone]. The U.S. Embassy is located at Carrera 45, # 24B-27, Bogota, D.C., Colombia and is open to the public by appointment on Monday through Thursday from 09:00 to 11:30. You can schedule a non-emergency appointment by visiting this website.

The Embassy operates a Consular Agency in Baranquilla, Colombia which also provides assistance to U.S. citizens. The Baranquilla Consular Agency is located Calle 77B No. 57-141, suite 511. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. No appointment is necessary.

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Noted the Santos family-owned and run El Tiempo is bending like a pretzel saying the U.S. Embassy really did not say or mean what it said.

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Embajada de EE. UU. reiteró que seguridad en Bogotá ha mejorado

La Embajada aseguró que no existen zonas en la capital que estén vedadas para sus ciudadanos.
El gobierno estadounidense, a través de su delegación diplomática en Colombia, aclaró que no se envió un mensaje de emergencia sino que se trató de un comunicado rutinario.

http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/bogota/alerta-de-ee-uu-a-ciudadanos-por-inseguridad-en-bogota_10136944-4

[gbscar]

3. Emergency warnings are meant to respond to emerging incidents

So I'd imagine that whenever and wherever U.S. officials are robbed or hurt we'll see the State Department issue new warnings on short notice, in addition to all of their standard travel recommendations and restrictions.

Other than that...yes, damage control is to be expected. Even though the newspaper is actually majority-owned by the right-wing Spain-based Grupo Planeta and Juan Manuel Santos himself supposedly sold his personal shares, it's hard to deny the family is still involved with its operations and we can't ignore that its coverage is obviously sympathetic, to say the least, which makes the paper's reaction unsurprising.

[Bacchus39]

5. won't stop me from going to Bogota. much safer than Caracas n/t

s

[Bacchus39]

4. English Tourist shot in face, killed during robbery, Margarita Island

http://touristkilled.com/english-tourist-shot-in-face-killed-during-robbery-margarita-island/

[George8]

8. Russian citizen murdered in Bogotá

Indeed Bacchus, though ironically this happened just before the thread was created. I assume people were unaware:

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/17737-russian-citizen-murdered-in-bogota.html

Many people are "disappeared" in Colombia as well in both rural and urban areas, the murder rate is conservative at the best of times though I do agree Bogotá is safer than Caracas.

[gbscar]

6. Nightlife districts of Bogota not off limits to US citizens: US Ambassador

Nightlife districts of Bogota not off limits to US citizens: US Ambassador
Friday, 12 August 2011 06:26
Toni Peters

Certain popular nightlife districts of Bogota are not off limits to U.S. citizens, the U.S. ambassador to Colombia clarified Thursday after a warning about these areas caused controversy.

U.S. ambassador to Colombia Michael McKinley said, "there is no ban or restriction order stopping people from going to places such as restaurants in Bogota. The only thing we are asking is for a little caution to be exercised," reported RCN Radio.

This clarification comes after a warning about security conditions in areas such as Zona T, Zona G, Zona Rosa and Parque de la 93 located in the Chapinero borough of Bogota was issued earlier in the week. The communique recommended that U.S. citizens follow the restrictions of embassy employees.

<...>

http://www.colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18278-districts-of-bogota-are-not-off-limits-to-us-citizens-us-ambassador.html

4 violent deaths in Bogota before daybreak
Friday, 12 August 2011 07:25
Toni Peters

Four people died in violent incidents in the north and south of Bogota in the early hours of Friday, reported Colombian radio station Caracol Radio.

A retired police major was shot five times by unknown assailants on motorcycle in Villa del Prado in the north of the city

A man, 25, was killed with a knife during a robbery in the Bosa district in the south of Bogota.

<...>

http://www.colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18281-4-violent-deaths-in-bogota-before-daybreak.html

[Bacchus39]

7. he can't ban anyone but embassy personnel

travel warnings to Colombia are routinely ignored if people are even aware they exist.

those areas listed are the main hotspots in Bogota. the travel warning won't affect tourists there.