My friends say my dad worries too much. But I understand. I have personally had some close calls, among them witnessing a murder in a Novotel lobby and chucking a pickpocketer out of a crowded bus. Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. The Marvelous City takes its moniker from a famous 1935 song. Rio de Janeiro, the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvellous City), is not a safe place. Not in the sense we Australians understand safe. Ever since I was a kid spending my holidays on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, there have been reports of tourists having their wallets and cameras taken (they used to carry them around their necks then). Over the years, crime rates have risen along with unemployment, corruption and the locals' tolerance for a life on edge. News of Australian Paralympian Liesl Tesch and a team official being robbed at gunpoint on Sunday comes as no surprise to me. That an Australian Olympic Committee member witnessed a shooting in broad daylight in upmarket Ipanema last month is equally worrying.

Rio mayor Eduardo Paes' half-hearted apology for the mugging and his blaming of the state government for the city's security problems is typical of the Brazilian attitude towards crime. "The city of Rio is a city with problems," he told a packed news conference on Tuesday. His excuse has been that Rio must not be compared with Olympic host cities in developed nations. Bullet holes are seen on a wall in Rio's Complexo do Alemao favela. Credit:Carlos Coutinho The implication is that Brazil and its visitors should accept its status as developing nation (Brazilians still refer to their homeland pejoratively as a "third world country") as an excuse for sub-standard law and order. Despite many Brazilians saying "these things don't happen to everyone", "they can happen anywhere" and "one must be alert everywhere", it should not happen and Australians - and Brazilians - have a right to expect it won't. Crime in Brazil is not an anomaly. It is an industry - the proliferation of security services, bulletproof cars and tourist police are just indications of its economic importance. Crime is a way of life for thousands of people who have not had the opportunity, the education or the choice to live their days honestly. A boy stands between signs during a protest against violence, at the burial of Roseli dos Santos de Jesus killed by a stray bullet during a shooting between police and drug traffickers at a cemetery in Rio on Tuesday. Credit:AP

The World Cup swept the football-mad nation up in its enthusiasm and distraction. The Olympics don't stimulate the same fervour in the locals – criminals included. Rio is not alone in having a high crime rate – Sao Paulo, my home town, to its south, and Salvador to its north, along with many other Brazilian cities, are also hotbeds for petty and serious gang-related offences. But Rio is a more visible city to the outside world and perhaps because of its beautiful beaches, famous songs, carnival and tropical lifestyle, people would like to believe it is a carefree paradise by the sea. It pains me to say this, but it isn't. A woman holds a sign that reads in Portuguese "Favela asks for peace" during the burial of Roseli Jesus on Tuesday. Credit:AP And it is highly embarrassing. Brazilians should be ashamed of the complacency they've grown to have for the lack of freedom and security in the streets. Brazil has world class technology, world class businesses, world class creativity. Its natural beauty, its people, language, food, rhythm, smells and traditions are contagious. It deserves world class law and order.

A man who identified himself as a police officer points his gun at anti-World Cup protesters blocking a road in Rio de Janeiro, in June 2014. Credit:AP If you are heading to Brazil during the Olympics, or any other time, take care, but like the locals, don't let fear ruin your experience. Besides, fear shows and in Rio you want to look street smart. Residents wait for a gunfight to stop before walking to their homes during a police operation at Rocinha slum in Rio last month. Credit:AP Tips for staying safe in Rio

- Leave your jewellery at home, including wedding rings. Take the opportunity to buy and sport beautiful colourful local accessories - Always carry some money with you – it is best to have something to give up when approached - Don't argue, don't resist if approached - Beware of single and groups of youths moving quickly about traffic and through crowds - Zip up your bags, carry backpacks in front of you

- Don't wear your wallet in your back pocket. Better still, don't carry a wallet (do it the Brazilian way, and tuck some money into the side of your swimming suit) - Lock car doors (modern Brazilian cars do this automatically), don't have bags on seats while driving and keep windows up - Walk with a purpose, be alert - Don't take valuables to the beach (Cariocas – natives of Rio – don't even take bags. Wrap yourself in your sarong, use it to lay on and carry sunscreen in your hand). - Don't leave your belongings, including runners, on the beach while going for a swim

- When in doubt, ask a local if a place you plan to visit is safe - Buy your own drinks in nightclubs Follow Fairfax World on Facebook Follow Fairfax World on Twitter