Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/10/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Low-level crime it may be for the police, but when it's happened to you it's anything but low-level - Frauke (my missus) still refuses to shop at H&M in Hannover since her purse was stolen there during the summer sales a few years ago. Organised begging and pickpockets, skimming at ATMs (it's so widespread in Germany that we even inspect the keypads and card-slots of ATMs whenever were getting some cash, even in banks) - you can't get away from it anywhere in any busy city, Hannover is full of them too. Most pickpockets seem to work in groups in the main department stores where you are less likely to notice being pushed about. The other popular trick is to stain your jacket with a spilled drink or food to distract your attention, or you're accosted by small children who show you a piece of paper (don't know what's on it, I never fell for that trick) so you don't notice the adults filching your pockets. Bag-snatching here is mainly drug addiction related theft, not organised crime. So, don't trust anybody who gets too close - keep a mean and murderous look in your eyes (pretend everyone else is a Nikon or Canon user ;-) ) and always keep your ID, passport, bank and credit cards in a secure inside pocket far away from your wallet. Cheers Douglas Daniel Ridings wrote: > On 10/22/07, Steve Unsworth <lug@steveunsworth.co.uk> wrote: > > >> One of the possible venues is Barcelona, but some people seem concerned >> about low level street crime - pick pockets etc. Did you feel unsafe or >> venerable why you were in Barcelona? >> > > Steve, > > My 18-year-old daughter was in Barcelona a few months ago for a whole > week. It was her first trip out on her own. She had heard this too > (pick pockets, etc). > > So she didn't take her Pentax DSLR, but a compact Canon instead. > > She was really upset with herself. The reports of pick pockets wasn't > anything she had to concern herself with once she was there. > > My wife ran in to some Rumanians standing around ATM:s and tried to > make off with her 50 Euro bill, but she grabbed her, confronted the > old lady and got her money back. > > I doubt that the pick pocket situation is worse than any other major > city. The days when you could walk around Europe (at least walk around > in the big cities) without worrying about this kind of thing is over. > Barcelona is no worse than anywhere else. > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >