why pickpockets choose hard targets
 

i continued reading more posts on Parisian pickpockets.One thing that struck me was that pickpockets also hit on persons who had taken measures to hide their money and also men who described themselves as being of large build. This puzzled me.If there are so many tourists in Paris to choose from why not stick to old ladies with purses on the metro to minimize the risk of retaliation?Could it be that they have a territory system?The top gangs would patrol the best metro lines / tourist sites. the underdogs would have to make due with the unclaimed areas.There modus operandi might also reflect a more desperate attitude.

Sam

...and I thought that I had too much time on my hands...

I would think it is a fairly straightforward matter of risk and reward. Maybe less risk but little reward with the little-old-lady (though some of them can probably be fairly vicious). Also, if something is hidden, the presumption is that it is worth hiding; ergo, worth taking. An easy target is not so much helpless as they are unaware.

This is a very curious obsession that you have with pickpockets in Paris.

Think about all the Parisians and how they carry their money every day... in wallets or purses like normal folks everywhere, I imagine.

Maybe the pickpockets are tired of the same old boring easy targets and just want a challenge.

More than likely, however, got1tiel simply has too much time on his hands. Who in heavens name sits around and thinks of stuff like this?

apart from the tragic side of holiday ruining this subject is actually quite fascinating. sort of like magic.In fact i have a business idea for Paris: a Musee de la Pickpockete

Sam

Sam, we've got to find you a hobby to occupy your mind....

I think trying harder and harder targets might be the pickpockets version of climbing the corporate ladder.

If I were an enterprising pickpocket I would want to show my stuff! I would wnt to evoke awe and admiration from my fellow pickers. I would become Queen of the Pickpockets, ah, whatta life I would lead!

Do thieves tend to go after tourists because they figure they won't be around when it comes time to testify? A friend of mine was robbed in Rome several years ago, but the thief was never charged because she wouldn't be able to go back for the trial. She was told he'd be kept at the police station for a couple of hours but then released.

Got1tiel, Probably old ladies with purses on the metro do not carry much cash, compared to alpha male tourists on holiday with their money belts bulging.

I don't see the connection necessarily of someone only pickpocking females of slight build. What's that got to do with it? Men, regardless of their size, are often better targets because they are easier to pickpocket, I think. For one thing, some keep things in pants pockets. Also, they often act more oblivious and aren't as cautious, perhaps because they've never had to think about safe issues in their life as much as a woman. Also, they do dumb things like standing in front of the metro doors in Paris stretching their arms out or acting bold -- maybe women do that, too, but I think men do it more and are better targets.

I think you are for some reason assuming men are dangerous to pickpockets but they usually aren't. Most men do not catch or attack pickpockets or retaliate in any way, that is the flaw in your reasoning -- they are just dupes who don't even know what's going on or realize too late. LIke when the pickpocket slips out the metro doors as they close after having lifted the wallet of a big man who is standing in front of the doors.

I don't know the mind of a pickpocket, but I suspect targeting tourists seems more socially acceptable in their minds, also, than local little old ladies, as to what they are doing.

This is really interesting on the subject. Watch the video, it is amazing.

http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache...kets&hl=en