# Why don't European pickpockets mug people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424 "2003-02-11T20:50:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/41 "2003-02-13T16:24:05Z")
Being a violent American, I have to ask–do European pickpockets get their asses kicked regularly? Or, if they’re caught in the act, do people just shrug and say, “ah, well–they didn’t get my money; I’ll leave it alone.” As a for instance: My friend’s family went to Spain a few years ago. A pickpocket (an adult man) got engaged in a conversation with his father, and secretly began unzipping his camera bag so he could swipe the camera, etc. My friend’s sister noticed, but she’s rather meek, so she just got into a silent tug-of war with the thief, zipping the bag back up to prevent his crime. She didn’t mention anything to the rest of the family until later. Now, I know that, if I had been the one to catch him unzipping the bag, I would have grabbed him by the throat and kicked the crap out of him. Do they mostly just get away, or do foiled pickpockets get knocked around a bit for their troubles? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/42 "2003-02-13T17:28:52Z")
My husband had some woman trying to pickpocket him in the Porta Portese (big outdoor flea market in Rome). If you’ve never been there, it’s huge, and extremely crowded. After saying “scuzi” a dozen times in the first aisle of the market alone, I stopped finally. People are constantly pushing, bumping, crowding, and it’s easy to misconstrue a touch as being a pickpocket attempt, or vice versa. This woman made the mistake of standing out though - she had very red hair and was the sort of woman that he’d look at. So he’d notice her around when he felt a bump or rub on his rear pocket (he actually had his money down in a tight front pocket). The third time, he slapped his hand down on hers when she put her hand on the pocket, then quickly turned and looked her in the eye, then let go. She just looked back at him, then slipped away and he didn’t see her around after that. He didn’t make a fuss because he figured he’d made his point, he wouldn’t have known where to find a cop in the middle of that crowd, and he thought she might raise a scene and claim that the mean American tourist was trying to grope her/treat her like she was a prostitute. (I teased him that maybe she just thought he was hot and was copping a feel of his butt. 😃 ) I suspect most tourists who don’t do anything violent/legal about it, act this way because they don’t want to deal with a foreign country’s legal system if no property was lost, and don’t want to deal with counteraccusations - or possibly the pickpocket’s thug backup who are waiting to actually mug you should things get ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/43 "2003-02-13T20:23:12Z")
WAG The reason could be because of a language barrier. Odds are American tourists did not bother to learn the phrase “Give me your money or I’ll kill you!” when preparing to come to Paris. ---
**Author:** ![Zazie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Zazie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zazie)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/44 "2003-02-13T22:08:32Z")
Unfortunatly, the crime rate in Europe is growing very rapidly. I can attest for France, it is becoming an alarming security problem. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/45 "2003-02-14T15:32:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*Almost everywhere you go in Europe, they warn you about the pickpockets who are everywhere, but always say something like “but there’s very little violent crime.” Why don’t the same pickpockets rob people with weapons? It seems like a natural step up, without the skill required for picking pockets. \*\* I just realized something. Who is this _They_? If it is some sort of tourist thing like a travel agent of course they will tell you beware of pickpockets. You think they are going to say. ‘Beware of being stabbed.’? ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/46 "2003-02-14T15:42:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*I just realized something. > > Who is this _They_?\*\* The **CXA** - **Central Xenophobia Agency** ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Montana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tony\_Montana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Montana)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/47 "2003-02-14T16:00:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*WAG > > The reason could be because of a language barrier. > > Odds are American tourists did not bother to learn the phrase “Give me your money or I’ll kill you!” when preparing to come to Paris. \*\* so… If I learn it does that make me more likely to be mugged rather than pick-pocketed? One mugger to another(in french of course): \*“no , no Pepi’ he doesn’t know the language of love, let us pick his pocket, haw haw, oui, oui” \* ---
**Author:** ![wooba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@wooba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wooba)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/48 "2003-02-14T17:30:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*I just realized something. > > Who is this _They_? If it is some sort of tourist thing like a travel agent of course they will tell you beware of pickpockets. You think they are going to say. ‘Beware of being stabbed.’? \*\* According to several I’ve spoken to about various European countries, Gypsies. A friend of mine got pick pocked by a Gypsy woman on a train in Italy… she was carrying a baby and had a fake arm around it so she could use her real arm to steal stuff… fortunately he caught her and snatched his wallet back… ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/49 "2003-02-14T18:17:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Splanky \* > \*\*Maybe because guns are illegal and therefore much harder to get? You can get a cheap, yet deadly gun in the U.S. for $75 I think. \*\* Really? Where? I’ve been paying MUCH more for mine… ---
**Author:** ![johncole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@johncole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johncole)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/50 "2003-02-14T18:47:02Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by SmackFu_ > **Almost everywhere you go in Europe, they warn you about the pickpockets who are everywhere** > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*Who is this _They_? If it is some sort of tourist thing like a travel agent of course they will tell you beware of pickpockets. You think they are going to say. ‘Beware of being stabbed.’? \*\* Probably the police, or some local authority crime prevention office. At many locations in London you will find prominent signs declaring “Warning. Pickpockets are active in this area”, or words to that effect. In Amsterdam the warning reads, “Let Oop, Zakkenrollers” (IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424/51 "2003-02-14T19:05:22Z")
**They** is pretty much any guidebook. I usually read Rick Steves’, so that’s probably where I saw it. But similarly, [Frommer’s about Florence](http://www.frommers.com/destinations/florence/0051020157.html): > [@](#): > > Central Italy is an exceedingly safe area with practically no random violent crime. There are, as in any city, plenty of pickpockets out to ruin your vacation, and Florence has the added joy of light-fingered gypsy children (especially around the train station), but otherwise you’re safe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-european-pickpockets-mug-people/154424.md?page=2)