Caracas - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
Caracas is incredibly dangerous - it has the second highest murder rate in the world. Embassy officers' movements are restricted to only certain parts of the city. We cannot take public transportation, and use only trusted taxi drivers. Walking around anywhere, especially after dark (6pm) is risky. - May 2015
Yes; yes, there are. - Apr 2015
The U.S. State Department considers the crime threat in Caracas as "critical," the worst possible rating. Street robberies, kidnapping, carjacking and home invasions are rampant and regularly include the diplomatic community among its victims. A common scenario is a motorcycle with two aboard suddenly appearing from nowhere; the man in the back puts a gun in your face; if you do not hand over everything quickly, they shoot you in the face. It's just more efficient, and the police will never find your killer. The most polite criminals are either current or former police who have found a more lucrative career-- this is not a joke. - Nov 2014
Yes, this is the most dangerous post experienced (including Baghdad). We have thick iron bars on the windows, use a dozen keys to enter our homes, can't ride the metro, buses, etc. We must have more guards than officers at the Embassy. - Sep 2013
Huge. This is our second critical-crime post, but I definitely feel more nervous here. It does affect everything you do. Travel should only be done during daylight hours, and while sitting in traffic you should always be on guard for a motorcycle robbery (at any time day or night), etc. Even if you try to live your life without crime getting in the way, people will remind you of it all the time. As the political and economic situation here deteriorates, crime is only getting worse. Criminals are hardly ever prosecuted, and they are getting bolder. - Aug 2012
Plenty. This is a dangerous post and security is a huge concern. Robberies, car-jackings, and express-kidnappings are very common. Caracas is the city with the highest murder rate in the world. We have used common sense and have had no issues, but anytime you leave your house you have to be aware of your surroundings. Never take anything you are not willing to loose with you. - Mar 2012
Yes! It's crazy dangerous here. Car jackings, express kidnappings, muggings. You don't walk around, you watch yourself all the time. - Mar 2011
This is one of the most dangerous cities -- more homicides in 2009 than Baghdad. Most crimes affecting Americans are muggings, and people are often only shot if they resist. Police are not helpful and are rarely around when they are needed. - Jan 2011
This whole place is one giant security concern. The NY Times called it more dangerous than Baghdad and they didn't get the half of it. Each weekend sees 50-60 murders, but the true number is unknown because many seem to go unreported and bodies just appear. When people talk they say things like "I haven't been robbed...yet..." - Oct 2010
A recent New York Times article listed Caracas as more dangerous than Iraq. 16,000 - 18,000 murders last year. This is not a place you can walk freely, and you are always at risk because the majority of crimes are those of opportunity. Many members of the embassy community have been victims of crime. One member even has a bullet hole in their car as the remnant of an assassination of a parking attendant that was helping them back out onto a busy street. - Sep 2010
YES. This is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Crime is rampant and the embassy community is not immune. Crime happens everywhere, all the time in Caracas. The embassy community has even had an employee killed. In the area where most embassy families live, there are armed robberies of apartment buildings, kidnappings for ransom, shootings in frequented restaurants, etc. Crime is no joke here, and the police are completely helpless or even complicit on some occasions. - Mar 2010
Too many to name. While I served there an Embassy employee was murdered, several staff were robbed (myself included), and there were multiple carjackings of Embassy employees. You can't even walk around your neighborhood. - Mar 2010
Caracas is now one of the top 5 most dangerous cities in the world. Be it an expat or local, you will know many people who have been robbed, car jacked, kidnapped, stabbed, shot, etc...I managed to be there 2 years without anything bad happening, but it also felt like a gamble. It really wasn't a question of if something bad was going to happen, but when. - Feb 2009
Caracas has a higher murder rate than almost anywhere else. A very dangerous city. - Nov 2008
