I agree such a comment is ridiculous, but I would like to add that I believe comments that "I had a bad experience therefore no-one should go to this place" are equally useless - not that I'm saying this is the OP's message. You need to weigh up the information and decide what level of risk you are happy to accept. Risk vs Benefit. For me the benefits of spending time in Rio outweigh the risks and I decide accordingly.

I think the most disturbing thing about this story is the lack of policing along the beachfront. The tourist revenue that Brasil loses from the dissemination of experiences like the OP's would likely pay several times over the salaries of the police required to keep Copocabana and Ipanema/Leblon much safer. I understand that the Rio state government has lots of other priorities but again Cost vs Benefit. A safer reputation for Rio's tourist precincts would pay back any extra expenditure many times over.

Thanks for the tale flyersfo - will give me pause to think next time I walk back to the Sheraton Rio.