Dear Poster <BR> <BR>If the message you're attempting to post is lengthy, post it a couple of paragraphs at a time. Post the first part, then reply to your own post in small increments. <BR> <BR>Good luck!

Up up

Abstract <BR>I and my wife visited our daughter studying in Germany last December. We drove a car starting from Germany to travel to southern France and going to Italy. When we are waiting for a red light on a cross in Nice, France, a man opened the car door and robbed the handbag on the floor in front of my daughter's seat. She lost all her important belongings and some cash. We reported to the police but was failed first time. After long hours finding, driving and waiting, we finally reported to the police. But the chances of catching the gangsters had been lost. All people drive the car on the street be careful to prevent this kind of incident to happen again. (This is the first part, details coming) <BR>

A terrifying experience in Nice, France <BR>We were having a good time after visiting the beautiful city of Monte Carlo and intend to see more scenery in Nice, France before sunset. The distance between the two cities is not very long and the traffic was not too heavy. We were all at ease and chatting delightfully in the car. The red light was on, we stopped our car on a cross. Suddenly, I heard my daughter sit behind me in the back seat screaming: "What are you doing?" That was the beginning of our nightmare. <BR>A young guy wearing a motorcycle helmet with plastic surface down covering his face opened the back door of our car, pushed my daughter aside and robbed her hand bag which was put in front of her feet. There were all her important belongings including her passport with visa for her to back to Germany where she was studying, her credit cards, EC card issued by Deutsch Bank, driver's license, student card, home keys etc., not to mention the cash we prepared for our later trip in Italy and France with a total amount around DM 1,200. <BR>(Story of Part 1) <BR>

A terrifying experience in Nice, France <BR>(Continued) <BR>We immediately pull the car over the road side and I untied my safety belt and open the door trying to run after the robber. But when I got out of the car, I saw the guy robbing the handbag running backward and there was another one on a motor cycle waiting for him. The former jumped on the motorcycle when he reached it and quickly the motor cycle fled away. The whole thing happened only in a few minutes. There were many cars waiting for the traffic lights with us, but nobody seemed to care, when the light changed to green, they just go on their way. There was only one car with an couple in their 50's stopped their car and got out to see if there was anything they could help. They could not speak too much English, but from what they expressed, we can understand they wanted to help us and would like to go the police station as a witness. They also stopped a car going to pass and ask a young guy in the car where was the nearby police station. Then he wanted us to follow his car to go to the nearby police station together. So we left the robbing scene together. However, after few traffic lights, unfotunely, we lost them. <BR>We asked several passerby where the nearest police station is . After about ten minutes drive, with some efforts, we found a police station. We were a little cheered up now. We parked the car and got into the police station and saw a policewoman sat behind a counter. We told her we wanted to report a robbery. She stood up and said no one spook English there and took out a copied city map and showed us the police station with people speaking English. We were really disappointed but we could do nothing. Some other policemen came out from the rooms also told us nobody speaking English. <BR>(Part 2) <BR>

A terrifying experience in Nice, France <BR>(continued) <BR>We left the police station and drive a more fifteen to twenty minutes in the city and asked some more people on the street, we finally find a bigger police station with policeman in uniform on guard at the door. However the first thing he saw us and said was we could not park our car at the place beside the police station. That parking place was for the police car he said. So we had to get out of the car and let the driver, my daughter's boyfriend, to find the parking place. When we got in the police station, there were around ten people standing in front of a counter. It seemed they were reporting something to the policeman sitting behind the counter. After few minutes, a policeman came out the counter and asked us what we want. We told him our purpose. He told us to go in a room behind and waited to report the detail. When we got into the room, we found one couple, one guy, and two other women already sat there waiting. <BR>There were three easy compartments each with one table and two chairs at one side of the room and ten or more chairs were put along the wall at the other side of the room where people sat and waiting. One people was reporting to a uniformed policeman sitting behind the desk in the middle compartment while the other two compartments were empty. We sat on the chair and waited. After a while, we were wondering whether we were in the right place. So I asked the young couple in their early 30's sat beside me. Luckily, they could understand and speak English. They were living in Nice but not a native of France and also waiting to report the incident happened to them. We told them what we wanted to report. The wife said she had same experience twice in the same city, Nice, France. They also said there must be some group of people in the city doing these kind of things. The police could do nothing to them because most of the gangsters were young. Every time they got caught they could be released soon. We talked and waited. After more than a couple of hours all the people in the room including the couple we talked to were reported, finally it was our turn. (story part 3) <BR>

A terrifying experience in Nice, France (continued) <BR>Just about 10 minutes before our turn, a young lady came in the room, she wanted to report too. Because she spoke German, so my daughter asked her what happened. The story she told was exactly same as what had happened to us. Her all belongings including keys, credit cards etc. and cash were all gone. In other words, in just couple of hours there were at least two same incidents happened. <BR>We went in the compartment and told the police what had happened to us in detail. He typed everything we answered him on the computer. It took almost an hour to finish the reporting and typing. The policeman was kind and asking questions with politeness. He also told us it was difficult to catch those gangsters as the story told by the young couple we met in the same room. When he finished asking and typing, he explained to us in brief what he had typed and we confirmed that was what we wanted to report. My daughter signed the paper and we got a copy of it. When we left the police station, it was about 8:30 PM, 4 hours after the incident had happened. Of course, the chances to catch those gangsters had been lost after such long hours. We don't know the police have the intention to do so or not. What we can say was why we were so careless and bad luck, and may be the only one to be blamed was ourselves. We were so frustrated and would like to leave the city as soon as possible. But after experiencing this longest, most tiresome and terrifying day in our life, we were so tired and hungry, we had to find a restaurant and a hotel to eat and sleep. <BR>To me, to recall the incident and write it down in detail is just like facing the incident again. It makes me feel so bad although the incident happened on Dec. 22, 2000, more than two weeks ago. The reason I wrote the whole story in such detail is hoping that same incident will not happen to people who visit southern France in later days. Be sure to lock the car door no matter there is people on the car or not. We all know that the streets of Italy are not safe, but we didn't know the streets in southern France are not safe either. They are even more dangerous. If it is not safe to sit in your own car, where is the safe place? <BR>English is not my mother language, so I can not describe the incidents in more brief words. But I want to let more people to know and take appropriate precaution when driving on the street especially in southern France. Only we ourselves can save our own life and belongings. (End) <BR> <BR>

A dreadful experience for you all -- I hope by now, you've been able to get thru some of the aggravations of credit card replacements, etc. and have not suffered too much $$ damage. It does do good for all of us to be reminded that precautions and a cautious eye are never out of place.

A very similar thing happened to my husband and myself in 1996. We were at a stop in Aix-en-Provence. A man grabbed my handbag and one small carry-on bag from the front seat of the car. I jumped out of the car and ran after the man screaming "no, no". Soon the man jumped on a motorcycle that was following behind him. I stopped running, as I couldn't possibly catch him. <BR>Fortunately, my valuables, passport, airline ticket. money, RX, credit cards were strapped to my body inside my clothes. The man got a lot of stuff- toothbrush, hairbrush, much half eaten food, etc. etc. belts, earrings ( I don't take these things anymore.) The only things he got that I was sorry to lose were my extensive notes of the trip. <BR>We didn't bother to report it to the police, because I knew about this kind of thing happening to other people-- that the police would not do much. <BR>When we arrived at the hotel a lady arrived about the same time we did that had broken her leg that day. Then I realized that I was really fortunate. I learned many lessons that day.

<BR>This is a terrible story and I certainly feel very bad that things like this can happen to travelers just trying to enjoy themselves and experience another culture. I applaud you for bringing this up. I have been to France 15 times and although I've heard lots of stories have never had a problem. <BR> <BR>I think travel alert like this are very valuble to all that travel extensively. Petty crime is fairly common in many parts of Europe. In France the economy has been poor with unemployment hovering arround 12% but it is closer to 20 - 25% in certain areas in the south especially amoung certain ethnic groups who don't have all he social programs that the French enjoy. <BR> <BR>Again we need to warn other readers of this forum when problems like this occur. <BR> <BR>Thanks for your time and comments and everyone who reads this I'm sure feels heartfelt sympathy for what happened to you and your family. <BR> <BR>Sincerely, <BR> <BR>Randall Smith

Lemme tell you a secret I lived while living in a ghetto: always lock your car door. If you have your windows rolled down, either put your purse strap around the parking break, hold it close to you, or hide it under the seat.

What an awful experience! While I don't live anywhere near a ghetto, I to always lock my car doors when travelling anywhere! It's not that I'm overly paranoid, it's just such a sad fact of life. Unfortunatley sometimes while we are abroad we may let our guard down for a moment or two and that's when trouble hits us. Start taking precautions in your everyday life and then it will become a natural for you when travelling.