Pickpockets

This article is a travel topic.

Pickpockets are thieves who steal items — often wallets or passports, sometimes other valuables — from people's clothing and bags as they walk in a public place. Pickpockets are a hazard in nearly any tourist destination. After all, tourists - by definition - have disposable income, and are likely to be carrying some money and/or valuables.

This article covers only pickpockets, not the various other crimes that may be committed against travellers. See Common scams for some of them.

Danger signs

There may be pickpockets anywhere, but some things are signs of higher risk:

• If you see other people who prey on tourists — beggars, touts or prostitutes — assume there are thieves as well.
• crowded areas, especially places like bus and train stations. There are lots of potential victims, noise and jostling provide cover, and the thief can disappear into the crowd easily.
• areas where you are obvious, perhaps because you look very different from locals or dress and behave quite differently
• areas where the local income is low. In some countries a traveller's pocket money may be more than local monthly income.

Pickpocket techniques

Pickpockets use a variety of techniques, not all of them covered here.

Pickpockets like easy targets

A skilled pickpocket can hit almost any pocket, but all pickpockets prefer easy targets.

Ridiculously easy targets are away from the body where the victim will not feel a thief's touch

• open bags, especially shopping bags with an interesting store label
• outside pockets of a backpack or shoulder bag — do not put cell phones or cameras there

Other easy targets are pockets that are easy to get at and out of the victim's field of vision:

• rear or thigh pocket of trousers — do not put your money in a back pocket wallet.
• outside pockets on a man's jacket or other loose-fitting outer garment
• anything hanging on your belt, such as a cell phone or fanny pack

Do not carry valuables in these places.

Tools for pickpockets

Pickpockets everywhere routinely carry razors for slitting pockets. These may also be used to quickly cut the strap on a purse, shoulder bag, or camera. In some places they may even be for armed robbery. Check the country listings for your destinations.

Thieves commonly carry fairly long tongs for reaching into purses or pockets. These are not as large and noticable as a hand reaching for the goods.

Pickpockets work in teams

Pickpockets often work in teams. For example, getting on a crowded bus, one ahead of you may create a delay so the one behind can get your wallet. One may distract the victim's attention while the other reaches into a pocket on the other side. The loot may be immediately handed off to a third player, so even if you grab the actual thief, there is no evidence and the item is lost to you.

Protecting yourself

The basics of protecting yourself are common sense:

• Leave the valuables and money you don't need at your hotel room, preferably in a safe.
• Know and avoid the most dangerous areas.
• Be alert, especially in crowded spaces or when people invade your personal space.
• Stash valuables in hard-to-reach places. (see following sections)
• Do not carry more cash than you are likely to need.
• Carry money and passport in separate places, so that losing one doesn't mean losing the other as well.
• Wear packs in front of you, not at the rear or side.
• Deep front trouser pockets offer more protection than back pockets, but be aware that experienced pickpockets can even get into zippered front pockets.
• Inside jacket pockets offer even better protection, especially if they are zippered.
• Dress inconspicuously so as not draw attention to yourself as a "rich foreigner."
• Attach your wallet to a chain.
• Get a money belt and wear it underneath your clothes. Keep your passport and extra money in there. Even if someone knows you are wearing it, they will be hard-pressed to get at it without you noticing.
• Consider taking a page from the theives' book and use distraction. Carry a cheap wallet with a few small bills in it in an obvious place like your hip pocket. This may decoy pickpockets' atention away from your real stash.

Above all, do not flash your valuables around unnecesarily. An expensive watch on your wrist or fancy camera around your neck is quite a temptation to someone whose annual income may be less than its price.

Catching pickpockets

Learn "Thief!" in the language of your destination and be prepared to yell it if you notice a pickpocket at work. When confronted, most pickpockets will fling their booty to the ground and attempt to make their escape — it's probably best to let them go, as they may be armed and you don't want to get charged with assault yourself.

In most cases in a crowded environment, the people around will co-operate with you to at least attempt to catch the thief and report the loss to police and act as a witness. In some places the crowd may take justice into their own hands, often with brutal results.

In countries with notoriously corrupt police, avoiding confrontation with a thief is strongly advised. He knows the language, the system, and probably the cops, much better than you do. He may be part of a gang with connections you cannot fight. Just let it go.

Money belts and pouches

There are many ways to stash your money and passport where it will be quite a bit more difficult to grab it.

Separate your money. Carry a small-change purse, or keep a small amount of money in a pants pocket, for small transactions like buying a bus-ticket or an ice cream. Put larger bills somewhere else.

Many urban outfitter or mountaneering type shops sell a money belt that you wear under your pants. These are typically nylon and have many pockets, so you can have cash, travellers cheques and passport separated. This is probably your most secure option since it is hard for a thief to reach and is in a sensitive area of the body; you are quite likely to notice someone touching you there. The only disadvantage is that some people find them inconvenient to access. The luxury versions of money belts have straps with sewed in wires (or the whole belt is made of this material) and all connections are made of steel and are not easy to open. So it's not possible to cut these straps or snatch away the belt. However, you may want to avoid models that contain metal parts, since they will cause problems at security checkpoints.

Another type of money belt is just a zipper sewn onto the inside surface of an ordinary belt. These are OK for money, but not passports. They can be bought in some travel-oriented shops, or are easily made.

Many travellers use a passport pouch which hangs under their shirt. Again, this is a sensitive area of the body; you will likely notice activity there. Make sure it has a secure strap and be careful not to wear it on the outside of your clothing, where it would be an easy snatch-and-run target. Some pouches have a second strap that goes around your chest; with these it's not possible for the thief to snatch-and-run. Some travelers find the presence of anything around their neck to be a danger in itself, however.

Others use a leg pouch, worn under the pants or sometimes on the upper arm under a shirt.

Defensive tailoring

If you sew, or can afford to hire a tailor (can you afford not to?), there are many ways to make clothing somewhat pickpocket-resistant.

Hong Kong tailors routinely put an extra pocket in a pair of pants, built into the waistband.

Simply adding fasteners - velcro, buttons or zippers - makes picking the pocket harder.

You can have additional pockets sewn into garments in odd places. Some possibilities are

• sewing a zipper on the inside of a belt to make a money belt
• sewing a long narrow pocket on the inside of a jacket, from high up near the lapel down diagonally to near the hip. Drop your wallet or passport in there and you have to reach in elbow-deep to get it
• sewing a pocket on the surface of a backpack that goes nearest your body; nothing lumpy can be carried there, but money or a passport are OK

Some travellers have one garment they use for travelling; a jacket for a businessman or a denim vest for a budget traveller; which has extra pockets and which they almost never remove.

Ladies, a cleverly hidden pocket sewn into a wrap-skirt has served me well. It is fairly easy to add a secure pocket to a pair of bike shorts or boxer-brief type underthings also.

Emergency money

It is best to leave a small reserve (for example, a $100 note) in the unlikeliest of places, in case the worst happens. This money could then be used to cover a hotel room, or transport, or phone calls to your embassy. Suggestions include inside your sock or your shoe, paperclipped to your belt, or somewhere equally obscure.

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