Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

Well, it's a lost art in the US, according to this article. Still around in European cities. I hope Harry doesn't get his pockets picked again in Madrid tomorrow night.

http://www.slate.com/id/2286010/pagenum/all/

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

Watch out for the beggars. There seems to be a bit of a trend round here for a certain type of beggars to beg you to buy food from the fruit and veg stalls from them. They stand too close to shoppers. It seems they may be just looking to see where you keep your purse. You could generously buy them a kilo of potatoes only to find they've helped themselves to a little more!

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

My OH was approached in Carrefour car park this afternoon and he just looked through her and walked away. She went off muttering and found another man who showed her the money in his hand and seemed to be telling her that that was all he had but she persisted and so did he. She did not ask any women just whined at the men and before any of you say anything she was a really ugly old crone.

Rosemary

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

Barcelona was bad. My wife clutched here handbag to herself all the time, and whilst on the train there, someone moved right up close to her whilst she was standing, but luckily I was standing at the other side of the carriage watching and warned her

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

I came out of a bar in Beni one night after watching the footie on TV.
This guy stopped right in front of me and asked about the match.
His pal right behind me stuck both his hands into my side pockets at the same time, so although I quickly took a firm grip on his wrists, I couldn't turn around to deal with him without releasing one of his hands.
Suffice to say he wrenched his other hand away as I was trying to turn around to give him a kicking.
Fortunately, either my pockets were too deep or else I'd grabbed him before he lifted anything.

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

Many years ago while in a queue in Portugal with a couple of friends I saw this hand appear and reach for my mate´s wallet in his back pocket. I did the classic karate chop to the wrist with all of my strength then I watched as a young lad in a lot of pain ran out of the door.
I know that you will tell me that I am stupid but I felt rather guilty, he was very young and I probably broke his wrist, certainly felt like I had broken my hand.

Graham.

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

Next best thing to chopping his hand off I presume.

I was sitting on the pavement edge in Cadiz with the girlfriend watching the Semana Santa parades and this guy standing next to her had been chatting with us for quite a few minutes when he commented on her necklace which was quite unusual and kind of special to her.
He briefly bent down to see it better,before quickly wrenching it of her neck and legging it into the crowd whilst I presume it was his mate just happened to accidently get in our way as we tried to stagger to our feet from ground level to chase him.
Suffice to say he was long gone.

Shortly afterwards,the girlfriends mother came to see us on a package deal and had her handbag with all her holiday stuff in it, nicked from almost right under her nose at the Welcome meeting, can you believe?
Some Welcome eh ?

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

Yeah.. right.... its your "wife's" handbag...

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

Once in Paris I was crossing the street, with my OH walking ahead of me (no, not the prescribed 3 steps) when I felt someone bump into me from the side. I had my handbag slung over my shoulder and when I glanced down it was unfastened. I grabbed hold of the guy who had just passed me and was holding on to him by the lapels of his jacket whilst he protested innocence, and all the while the OH was standing on the pavement opposite, seemingly oblivious. Eventually I had to let him go as there was no gendarme in sight and short of wrestling him to the pavement and searching his pockets there didn't seem to be anything else I could do. When I said to the OH, what the hell use were you, he replied "I thought you were asking for directions"!!! Do I normally grab people by the collar to ask the way to somewhere, I ask you.

Another time I had been working late at the office in central Manchester and was walking across the city to catch a train when I passed two young lads of about 14. One of them made a grab for my handbag so I wheeled around and backhanded him across the face, sending him flying. You won't f***ing try that again in a hurry, I said (I don't normally use that kind language but that's all such scum understand). Had I stopped to think about it I probably wouldn't have done it but it was an instinctive reaction and it certainly made me feel better.

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

They all whine don't they? It makes them look ugly. Old or not!

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

First my mother and then not long after our daughter had their handbags stolen here in Spain, both of them from a moving vehicle, it was over in seconds and nothing any of us could do to stop it!
The daughters bag had a months wages in it plus house keys, residents card and her family book, we ended up spending half the night in the police station and she then had the inconvenience of replacing everything, including having to change the house locks.

It's a very traumatic and unnerving experience, and it's one that taught me NEVER to use a handbag, instead I wear trousers with lots of pockets, that way I'm not such an obvious target without a bag on my shoulder.
Give it a try ladies.....you know you don't really need all that stuff you carry about with you. :)

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

Harry lost his wallet,shirt and watch tonight and in broad daylight too. It was a special one who took em.

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

Pickpocketing is alive and well in Spain, I’ve witnessed it on dozens of occasions. Places like Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga are obvious danger spots, as well as expat areas where the unwary expats provide easy pickings.

As a rule of thumb, Gippos and their Rumanian cousins are the main culprits, often women working in teams of five. They clap their hands to warn of danger from the occasional police officer or wary expats when they are spotted, and melt into the crowds.

They invariably carry plastic bags containing a few oranges, ready to receive a purse which is then passed along the chain to safety (they change the bags over).

There is always an old man in an old Mercedes parked a few streets away, and a young boy running between the groups passing on orders.

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

:thumbsup: I agree. I've been using a frontpack but it only works well if you wear something over it. to stop them ripping it off your shoulders. But in big cities I have 'outdoor wear' trousers, with zipped and even secret pockets.
I noticed one of the 'types' in our area had gold teeth! Need them punched out next time they rob someone......... then put back in their hands!
OOps, sorry. stopped being mild-mannered there for a while!:o

Re: Pickpocketing is dying out..
 

:eek: (looking in handbag on chair to my left).... so what trousers or frontpack can be found with enough space for:
two tennis balls
Ben 10 Play plate
remains of someone else's broke mobile which 9yo wanted to dismember to find out about chips etc
hand wipes
diary
filofax (in case something I need isn't in diary, see above)
two phones
purse
cursory amount of makeup
deep heat for neck knackered after strimming
ibuprofen (see above)
tissues
perfume (don't really know why, the goats don't notice & OH isn't here at the moment)
tiny book of logic puzzles
fan (nb it was 29:eek::eek::eek: on the way home from Malaga this morning)
spectacle case including dongle & USB!!:eek:
assorted pens & pencils

oh, and of course Tower of London-scale keyring!!
:blink:

oh, and NB - my OH only ever keeps things in his pocket(s) and he was the one successfully pickpocketed in Barcelona; the woman who tried on my bag in Fuengirola failed dismally and even I was impressed with my turn of speed to leap noisily after her:lol: