I’ve been to Europe numeorus times and numerous places. I’ve seen it all. Let’s run through the list. What makes them so bad, and how they get away with it.
What makes a good city for pickpockets to operate?
1. Lots of tourists
- No doubt about it. Tourists are the easiest targets. They carry more valuables on them. They don’t know where to go. They’re often distracted. They also more open to strangers approaching or helping them. And they don’t know the local crimes to avoid.
- So ideally a city with lots of tourists and tourist destinations are most ideal.
2. Many crowded areas
- Cities that are highly dense and have many crowded areas are most ideal. Airports, train stations, bus stations, metros, buses, tourist monuments.
- Having many areas also gives pickpockets more places to operate. And for more criminal gangs to co-exist without stepping on each other’s turf.
3. Lack of guns
- Without guns (and perhaps also violent culture), criminals are forced to resort to skill rather than force or threat-of-force.
4. Lenient laws against petty crime
- Unpunished crime often gets repeated. It also happens to be that since kids get lesser or no punishment, crime organizations often use kids to do the dirty work.
5. Easier to blend in against locals
- Very often, pickpocket gangs are people of a different ethnic group from another country. And if they look similar enough to locals…tourists won’t be able to spot the difference and to watch out for them.
1. Rome
The #1 pickpocket city by far. Tons of people everywhere in crowded spaces and public transportation. Many of them are first-time inexperienced tourists in Europe. The hot weather also makes it more likely to for people to wear less clothes, leaving their valuables exposed in the open.
Pickpockets here are all over the public transportation areas…metro, buses, airports and train terminals. Huge organized gangs of Romanian gypsies posing in all kinds of social formations…groups of teenage/college school kids, “innocent” family, well-dressed ladies with many layers of clothing (sunglasses, hat, scarf), tourist men (with cross-body sling bags), businessmen (dressed for office work), locals trying to help you buy train tickets (while watching you enter card PIN).
They’re both a mix of very slick and also aggressive here and will crowd you closely. Then be gone before you even realize anything.
Similar:
- Venice – tons of tourists in crowded spaces. It’s a hotbed!
- Milan – another popular tourist destination but not as many opportunities since Milan is big enough to spread everybody out, but not so many tourist destinations to gather them together.
- Florence – same idea here.
2. Paris
Another huge tourist city, with tons and tons of people crowded closely together and distracted by photos such as Eiffel Tower or Louvre Museum. I find pickpockets here to be more often tanned-skin women and children. Sometimes the women pose as non-profit organizations with clipboards asking you to complete a survey while little 4-6 year old kids are picking your pockets.
On public transportation, it’s harder for them to operate as Parisians walk fast as heck and trains come so often that they don’t have as much opportunity to pick you. Also, the weather in France can be colder and so their valuables are likely to be better concealed under thicker clothing.
Once again, most of the pickpockets here are also gypsies.
3. Barcelona
Guess who’s back here to pick your pockets…all the dark skin Romanian gypsy gangs again…ARGH!! The bane of the earth. They operate very often on the subways and at all points…ticket purchase machines, escalators, trains. And they’re very very aggressive, the most I’ve ever seen. Bombarding you, screaming at you, smashing onto you from behind. You could argue some of them aren’t even pickpockets, it’s just straight out daylight robbery.
- Yes, there’s the classic personal space invader pickpocket.
- And then there’s the street-distraction gangs. One grabs your or says some something or throws ketchup on your shirt (maybe even pretending to help you clean), while the other one grabs your stuff.
- One pretends to drop coins and hold up escalator while other one behind you smashes into you.
- One screaming and yelling pointing at your car (hoping you unlock your door to get out), while other one is standing ready by your backdoor on other side to pull out your luggage.
- A car honking and making noise while you’re unloading luggage from taxi, and gang of guys steal your luggage while you’re making sense of the commotion.
- Young teenager singing or screaming loudly nearby you to make you look away while other one picks your items. Other version of this is some older person coughing annoyingly in your direction.
Similar:
- Madrid – I hear some bad stories but reality is Madrid is much better. Fewer tourists come here since Barcelona is more appealing and has more things. Also, Madrid is more walkable and has many open spaces to spread people out.
4. London
Expensive city with fancy buildings and the Queen’s English accent? Check, check, check. Lots of multicultural characters around here and people everywhere. Many crowded spaces but generally, you need to watch out during public transport.
5. Amsterdam
Another expensive city with classy culture and yet, you find many well-dressed skill Dutch pickpockets. All kinds of other petty crimes can happen as well, not only pickpockets.
Honorable mentions:
- Athens – oh yeah, crowded spaces.
- Istanbul – very crowded spaces, definitely.