Maire

I’ve read tons of articles and threads about pickpockets. Rarely mentioned is what happens when someone witnesses pickpockets in action. Have you had this experience? Did you shout, try to help the victim, shrug and walk away? Just curious what the onlookers do when a group of street kids gang up on a person, for example.

And, P.S., do the police ever nab these people in action?

SeaUrchin

I've written this before but again, I missed a train in Florence so my friend and I waited for the next train and the whole time we watched a network of thieves working the station.

It seemed to be a multigenerational family, the grandmother held all the cash and her adult children would come and hand her their loot. The children would give their loot to their parents, etc.

SeaUrchin

What the hey, I pushed the wrong button.

Anyway, the grandmother was pushing a cart with lots of luggage on it all around the station.

The police watched her and did nothing, the kiosk people did the same. We warned a few tourists who were standing by us but there was not much else we could do but watch. It looked like they were well established at the station.

The funny thing was they were all well dressed so you wouldn't be on guard when you saw them. It was amazing.

Maire

As I picture that grandmother with all the loot, I wonder, "Do the pickpockets ever get pick-pocketed?"

PalQ

In Madrid at about 8am on a Sunday morning a relative was mugged near Atocha Station - thief wanted to get her day pack off and she wanted to get it off to give to him since it had little of value in it. a struggle ensued and she and he ended up in the gutter - the struggle lasted for about a minute whilst shopkeepers opening their stores steps away did nothing.

Lesli

I saw a guy trying to get into someone's backpack on the bus once.

Gave the pickpocket the evil eye, and tapped the backpack owner on the shoulder to let him know he should be careful.

I often tell people using public transit at home that their bags are unzipped. Pickpockets here are less common and less skilled than in Europe, but they do exist, and there's no reason to make it any easier for them.

Maire

I just saw the 2nd part of your story story, SeaUrchin. It is amazing.

PalQ, what a terrible experience; I hope your relative wasn't hurt too badly.

Good for you Lesli; I'd like to think I'd do the same if I saw someone about to become a victim.

ira

Hi M,

The police don't bother about petty crime because it takes up too much of their time. This is true all over the world.

Onlookers don't want to get involved because it takes up too much of their time. This is true all over the world.

On a bus in Florence, the lady standing next to me whacked a pickpocket with her umbrella when she found his hand in her purse.

There then ensued an act from an opera, with him complaining about the pain inflicted and she complaining about how he tried to rob her.

After several minutes of this, I stepped in to turn the opera into "opera bouffe", and eventually forced him off the bus.

A good time was had by all.

chestnut

My husband and I were on a subway train in Madrid during a rush hour time and I was able to get a seat. More people got on at the next station so it got crowded and my husband, (6' 2&quot, who was standing in front of me, was pushed toward the middle of the aisle by a good sized younger man. As the train proceeded to the next station, I became aware that this fellow was slowly sliding his had into my husband's jacket pocket -since I was sitting I got an eye-level view at his attempt -.
My husband was totally unaware of this because of the crowded situation. However, as an old school teacher who was used to keeping my eye on junior high school students, I reached out and grabbed his arm and in a loud school teachers voice said, "Stop that, right now"!! Of course, he probably didn't understand what I said , but he (and everyone around him) knew what I was up to. He jumped off the train at the next station; my husband turned around to see why I was yelling , and an old lady next to me said, BUENO !!! So, beware. What everyone told us about the crowding and jostling on trains, etc. was true. Also, this guy's attempt at pickpocketing was in vain - my husbad had his money and charge cards safely in an inside pocket.

Poohgirl

Way to go, Ira!

ira

Well done, Chestnut.

Poohgirl

---- And Lesli.

Maire

Way to go, crimefighters!

Fibonacci2358

My wife's cousin and his wife were strolling along a street in Rome several years ago. He was carrying his daypack dangling from his left hand and two guys on a Vespa came past and the guy on back grabbed it. He held on, and because he was a good bit bigger than the thief, pulled the thief off the back of the Vespa. To hear him describe it, the guy was almost horizontal as his partner drove the scooter away, and he end up on his back in the street. His wife proceed to beat him with her umbrella.

LoveItaly

At a lovely hotel in Milan my husband got onto the elevator to go down to the lobby for something while I was getting ready so we could go out for the day.

On the next floor the elevator stopped, a man got on that gave my DH a "funny feeling". The next thing my DH knew this fellow was trying to get into a briefcase of the Italian fellow next to my husband (he was an Italian businessman). My husband elbowed the pickpocketer (well the wanna be pickpocketer) real hard and yelled something to him in Italian. Someone else stopped the elevator at the next floor and the pickpocketer was pushed out of the elevator by several Italians. My DH was than given a round of hand clapping along with a round of "bravo, bravo". That evening when we went to leave the hotel for dinner the hotel management treated us to two rounds of drinks in their beautiful lounge. To this day I wonder happened to this pickpocker. Guess he took another elevator and found another victim. The hotel had no idea who he was. My DH wished that the elevator had not been stopped so that the pickpocketer could have been dragged to the reception desk.

ekscrunchy

I was mugged in Palermo last year in the lobby of my hotel. After brandishing a knife and taking my wallet the guy then robbed the hotel cash drawer. I screamed and screamed and tried to get my wallet back to no avail...tore his shirt, though! The guy ran from the hotel with me screaming behind him. The hotel help cowered and the onlookers across the street looked while the guy took off with his loot. I must say the police were very nice..let me call my card companies (Amex is of no use, by the way) and then gave us a tour of the city from their squad car. Makes a good story now but I was VERY angry, not to mention flat broke without a dime an hour after my arrival in the city! With a sprained finger, too!

ashields

I had a near run in with a pickpocket in Madrid. I was looking at the necklaces being sold by a street vendor when suddlenly my mom yelled 'Look!' and the vendor quickly moved me around to the side of his stand. Later, my mom explained that she could see this guy coming up right behind me and reaching for my back pocket--in full view of the street vendors. All of these people know each other (probably why pickpockets don't get pickpocketed?). I wouldn't have lost anything except a days worth of ticket stubs, but it made me really grateful to have a money belt.

My dad did find a hand in his front pocket at a market in Arles once, but again, since he had on a money belt, its just another interesting experience.

Probably my favorite pickpocket story occured when one of my friends, B, was working in Madrid one summer. She was at an outdoor cafe, seated on the outside and had set her backpack by the side of the chair (first mistake). Someone grabbed the backpack and started running. When B, a 6'3" college basketball player stood up and started chasing the thief, shouting in Spanish, the thief looked behind him, saw her and threw the backpack to her and started running away even faster.

suze

I think it is good to be prepared and cautious but reading a thread like this one just before a trip, is like watching a highjacking movie on a plane flight... just not a very good idea if you want peace of mind and to avoid needless worrying.

What if the title was "Who has never seen a pickpocketing attempt in Europe?"

Lesli

Good point, Suze!

I've only witnessed one attempt in my many trips (which have included the much-maligned city of Naples.) And have never personally been a victim.

Robespierre

That's really strange - I've been to Europe hundreds of times, and I've never been either a victim or witness to a pickpocketing.

I did see a woman snatch a cell phone at the Burger King in Waterloo Station a year or two ago. She was apprehended before she'd got 50 feet.