BootsnAll Travel Community

Preparing for a trip to Spain, I've been reading up on staying safe, which mainly means protecting oneself from pickpockets. Barcelona seems to be the worst. I don't understand, however, why pickpockets are so prevalent in that country. From the reports I've heard, they definitely seem worst than what you would find in most U.S. cities, including New York. Is this because of incompetent policing? Underly aggressive law enforcement? A more "liberal" attitude? Please tell me.

Also: I have a neck wallet...I've found it to be rather uncomfortable to wear in the front. Would it be a bad idea to wear it on my back? Since the strap goes around the front of my neck, I would have a hard time imagining it being taken without me noticing.

I happen to live in a city with a serious theft problem. When traveling around I do have one of those neck wallets--I'll admit I don't like wearing it either. Most of the time when I'm going around the city I just put all my valuables in one pocket and leave my hand in that pocket at all times. I also carry my backpack under my arm to prevent people from rummaging through it. So far, I've never had a problem in almost 3 years.

I tend to wear jeans, with jeans the pockets are too narrow for pickpockets to reach in.

From my experience the travellers who get pickpocketed tend to be the ones who wear knee length shorts with gaping pockets at the side.

1. I think perhaps Granada is the worst for crimes against tourists now. I myself was pickpocketed, I think, at the bus station, and my friend, who never loses his wallet, had his taken in the city as well.

2.The best precaution against pickpockets is to keep things in a belly or stomach pouch or perhaps a neck pouch, though I don't like them at all. For easy money, keep a small purse with small amounts of money, but no ID and no credit cards.Just small amounts of cash which are then used up, and refilled.

3. Why? Other countries have other reasons, but Spains main reason is their gypsy population, which seem to have much of a monopoly on that sort of crime.

Pickpocketing is a very difficult crime to enforce, since a good working team can extract the wallet, toss it to a friend, and theres no evidence on the pickpocket, aside from that mousetrap you've put in your pocket.

Repression of the crime involves just that, police repression, which is not looked on with kind eyes here.
Thats one viewpoint, anyways, but it isn't anything WRONG with the system.

Especially since in America, we have the highest rate of violent crime in the developed world.

For ID its good to carry a photocopy of your passport. Leave the real passport in the safe at your hotel.

While I've never had my pocket picked, I came darn close once in St. Anton, Austria...that or some clumsy fool was feeling me up.

Point is, after that I became much more careful anywhere I was playing tourist in, or even crowded unfamiliar places for that matter.

1) The wallet moves to my forward pockets
2) Credit cards get split up into stay-on-me and stay-in-hotel
3) When traveling somewhere I know I'll stick out, I bring a second, decoy wallet which has my immediate spending cash and some old credit cards.

Hi there!
I caught someone who was trying to pickpocket me while on a full bus coming from the Vatican. And I really don't know why he had picked me because I'm always really careful and I really can't say that I was an easy target!
But ever since then, in very crowded areas, not only do I carry my bag in front,(which I have always done and WAS doing on THE bus) but I now cover it with both of my arms, like I'm hugging it!

And of course, fun or not, a belly or neck pouch is a must! (But no, I definitly wouldn't carry it in my back...)

Good luck!

I've also had a couple of pickpocketing experiences, but never lost much. The first time I was a carnival in La Ceiba, Honduras. I went out with some friends and the streets were PACKED!! I figured there would a lot of pickpockets around, so I wore my neck pouch under my shirt and only had something like $20 in it - just what I needed for the evening. Everyone was dancing and have a blast, and we were kind of standing there trying to figure out what to do. A guy came up and started dancing, motioning for us to join him, so we did. We made our way through the crowd to the other side of the street, dancing as we went. Once we got across the guy waved goodbye and took off, while we headed into a store to buy something - and my $20 was GONE!!! That SOB had reached up UNDER my shirt, opened my stiff leather pouch, and taken the money out!!! I can't even tell you how violated I felt.

The other time was absolutely hilarious. I was wandering around in Quito that day, and had gone to some state office to buy a map of the country. I had all my money and passport in a pocket sewn into the inside of my pants, so I knew nobody could get it. I happened to have about $20 (again) in my pocket but I didn't really care if anybody got that, and I had a shoulder bag that only contained a novel. That's all I had - a rolled up map in one hand and a bag flung haphazardly over my shoulder.

I wandered into the market and all of a sudden there was this big traffic jam of people right in front of me. I recognized it as a team effort to pickpocket me, so I backed up. After the aisle cleared, I headed through again. Once again, all those people came over and mingled right in front of me. I knew exactly what was happening, and I knew they wouldn't get anything - but it made me mad that they were doing it!!

So I stood there - a massive, 6-foot-tall woman - towering over all the itty-bitty Ecuadorian people and started hitting them on the head with my map!! Honestly - I stood there smacking them all shouting, "LET ME THROUGH!!! LET ME THROUGH!!!" Eventually they all left and headed on back to my hotel. Once I got there I discovered they had slashed my pants trying to get my passport - but hadn't gotten it. I did have a slice in my passport though.

Wow, Nancy. That is a sucky story, the Ecuadorian one. Good thing they were deft with the knife. I would hate to think you get cut for a novel.

D

I know - I sat there at the hotel staring at that slice in my pants. I was aghast, but thankful that they cut them right there where my passport was so they didn't cut me.

how about a regular wallet with one of those chain or rope things that goes through the belt loop.

Nancy, that is a favorite technique in Quito. When I lived there I used to hit the market almost every day (Remember the crab carts?) One day I'm walking a narrow aisle with room for only one. Suddenly, the idiot in front of me turned around and walked straight into me. At the same time I felt a hand go into my pocket from his partner in back of me. I grabbed the guy's wrist, turned around and threw the sucker into one of the stalls.

Those pocket slicers are using box cutters with razor blades.

I attach a strong hook or wire to my wallet or purse. It deters pickpockets when they feel it is held fast.