Crime In Thailand Versus Crime In Your Home Country

[NativeBob]

Not a single case ever in BKK except once long time ago, but that was my stupidity.

I just avoid nasty places at nasty times - that's all.

Same goes to Albania 

[MangoKorat]

I'm not sure the purpose of the OP will ever provide a true reflection of crime in either Thailand or any other country - its all subjective.

 

For example:  I would consider that the area where I live in Thailand is much safer than the UK.  However, whilst in Thailand I've:

 

Had my house broken into once - never in the UK.

Second break in attempted - never in the UK.

Been pickpocketed twice - never in the UK.

Been drugged and robbed once - never in the UK.

Had my car broken into once in the UK - never in Thailand.

 

I would stress that the above events took place over almost 22 years.

 

As I say, its subjective - take for example, the drugging and robbery. That happened in Bangkok when I was drunk and stupidly walking back to a hotel, way down a dark and dingy street.  Big cities anywhere tend to experience that type of crime far more than other areas.  I think I would have been just as much at risk if I'd done the same thing in say, London. I just have never done that in London.

[still kicking]

4 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Shotgun?

Before the wedding?

No a few years after we got married

[stoner]

On 6/2/2024 at 3:42 AM, Sticky Rice Balls said:

would you take the gold chain challenge in pattaya?

 

that gives me an idea for a new show.....strictly come prancing. 

[newnative]

     Like you, here 14 years, too.  Have experienced no crime here whatsoever.  In the US, my car was broken into and another time all 4 tires were stolen--and, no, it wasn't parked in a high-crime area.  I feel much safer here than the US.

[BangkokReady]

On 6/2/2024 at 2:25 PM, Robert Paulson said:

There is no crime here. I could go to the worst neighborhood in Thailand carrying a box of hundred dollars bills in it and nothing would happen to me. 

 

I think you mean that there is very little violent crime and theft in Thailand.  There is a ton of crime when it comes to tax, driving, corruption, sexual offenses, etc.

[BangkokReady]

I don't think I've experienced much crime at all in Thailand, but I guess I'm not really in the demographic to be a victim of crime, same as most foreigners.  There's plenty of crime going on, we just don't see it.

 

Ask the same question to foreigners who have female children/young adults out there.

[Mark Nothing]

I have personally experienced significantly more crime in thailand then my home country.

 

Road rage from honking.  One bmw thai  driver blocked my car and came at me with a lead pipe.  The other was a motorscooter taxi boy pounding on my car window and screaming like a lunatic.

 

Domestic violence.  Thai lady attacking me with a knife.

 

Multiple bar brawls.  Luckily not directly involving me.  But very ugly to see up close.  Standard kicks to head when victim knocked unconscious on the ground.  One extremely nasty situation was a thai boy beating up the waitress punching her in the face multiple times and golf ball sized welts forming.

 

Petty theft is rampant.  Shortchanging by clerks, taxis, convenience stores, electric bills.  

 

Bars padding bills and extorting customers with the threat of getting beaten up by drug addict guards.

 

The scariest crime by far is the driving.  Cars aiming for pedestrians like it is a sport.  Zebra crossings should all be eliminated.  I have been on the hoods of several cars as they accelerated into me as I was trying to cross the street.  But I am still agile enough to take evasive action.

[Task Master]

I spent 25 years as a law enforcement officer in a major Midwestern American city. For the past 13 years, I have been living in a small Isan village. The contrast between these two experiences is striking, like night and day.

[Ben Zioner]

Arabs everywhere now...

[kevozman1]

I will say petty theft is less common in Thailand in my experience than Europe in general, but anecdotal dribble aside and onto more serious stuff, the murder rate in recent years in Thailand is always around 3-4 times higher than the UK. Admittedly it's better than when I first visited Thailand nearly 20 years ago and has generally gone down every year, back then I would see things on local news that gets a brief mention for a day or two that would get international exposure if it was an incident in a Western country. It's similar to how this site often highlights petty crime by foreigners when in the same time period more serious crime has been committed by Thai citizens. Not a fan of double standards. However I do think the murder rate will continue to generally drop over the coming years, and internationally it's on the moderate side so I wasn't trying to fearmonger anyone.

[OneMoreFarang]

My personal experience with crime

Back home: almost zero

Bangkok: almost zero

 

Once I was sitting in a restaurant on Sukhumvit with a notebook bag at my feet. The "fence" to the footpath was not as good as I thought, and someone stole the notebook bag. Before I even realized that, the footpath vendors caught the thief and returned my notebook to me. Since then, my opinion about those vendors is a lot better. And in the hindsight, it was stupid from me to leave the notebook bag like that.

 

Once a farang bumped into me in Soi Cowboy and tried to steal my wallet. Actually, he had it already in his hand. I was lucky I grabbed it from his hand and got it back. Lesson: Protect your wallet better in crowded streets.

 

So personally, I didn't have anything stolen or a fight or anything like that. 

But I met my fair share of criminals in this country. Boiler room guys, an international weapons dealer, a loan shark, and others.

 

I guess a big part about our safety is where we live and with which people we mix. I never lived in a dangerous neighborhood. And I avoid suspicious characters. 

[bunnydrops]

12 years here, nothing except a neighbor stealing limes. In the US (NW) nothing since around 1970. I spend 6 months a year in both the US and Thailand. In the US, I don't lock my house ever. Don't know where the key is. In Thailand, my wife and her family think there is a thief around every corner and everything is locked up.

[rickudon]

In the UK, never saw or experienced any crime before i went to university. And only one memorable event in the next 5 years, when late one night i disturbed 2 men with a rifle in someones front garden and was threatened by them (not robbed).. 2 house breakins in Birmingham in the early 80's, and 2 city riots.

Moved to Hampshire. Mother had her jewelery stolen in late 80's. No crime then until 2007, house breakin ( large rurall village). Moved to within 100 metres of a police station. I then got divorced and came to Thailand. In the past 10 years, ex-wife been burgled twice and all ATM'S raided because no police station anymore.

Thailand 14 years nothing personally, family lost some chickens and fish. Safer here.

Edited June 8 by rickudon