First, your post has nothing to do with the topic of the thread. I presume you meant to put it in one of the threads about Goa.

was not robbed in Goa, nor was I robbed anywhere else in India, and I spent four months there. I am female, I was 59 at the time, and I traveled alone.

Police in most third world countries are corrupt, partly because they are not paid a living wage, and partly because in some countries the value system does not condemn ripping off others, or at least it doesn't condemn ripping off foreigners.

In many countries being a police officer is merely an opportunity to collect bribes. The 'serve and protect' aspect of it doesn't even enter into the equation. I met people in Guatemala who had been robbed by a police officer and no one cared when they reported it, and there was a lot of publicity in Cancun a few years ago about two stupid police officers who robbed two Americans while wearing their name tags.

India and Goa are not as safe as your home, probably. But that depends on where you live. If you want someplace that is absolutely safe, you are going to be out of luck because that place doesn't exist.

To some extent, it depends on personal experience. Someone who is robbed in St. Petersburg, Florida will conclude that it is a very unsafe place. Someone who isn't robbed in Guatemala will conclude that it is safe. Thailand has the third highest number of murders with a gun in the world, but is regarded as a safe place to travel because it rarely affects tourists.

As far as people making friends with you because they want something from you, that too is an unfortunate aspect of travel in third world countries. It is disheartening to meet someone who has made what they thought was a good friend, only, after months, to be asked for money or some other favor and be dropped immediately when they don't come across.