The Clever Travel Companion Updates

Video: Woman with her children attempting to prevent a pickpocketing is violently assaulted

Pickpocket attack

 

Pickpockets are no laughing matter. At The Clever Travel Companion we stress the issue of traveler safety every single day, we even built a company around it purely based on personal experiences. We understand it may become slightly boring reading about the same negative experiences over and over again, especially when the chances of it happening to you are very slim and you are probably prepared or don't put yourself in vulnerable positions... Well I'm sure the young mother in the below CCTV footage taken in Stockholm, Sweden in January 2016 probably thought the same, she also did not put herself in any danger of being pickpocketed. She simply did what any moral human being would do in such a situation and in doing so, was subjected to a violent assault. 
We cannot stress enough that the safety of one's valuables does not only mean you get to keep your iPhone or you don't need to file an insurance claim, it means you avoid becoming a target and therefore, you remain safe.

 

Jan 2016: Stockholm, Sweden. A young mother with her children is violently assaulted and spat on whilst trying to prevent a pickpocket at Gamla Stan metro station, Central Stockholm.

Fortunately, the attacker was arrested the same afternoon and is now behind bars and the woman is unhurt, it's easy to see how this could have been much worse however.
The YouTube video description states that the man involved in the attack was an immigrant to Sweden and whilst that cannot be confirmed, nor should it be suggested that non-natives are pickpockets, it should be noted that the massive influx of refugees hitting Europe has resulted in heightened tensions in built up areas and opportunities for people up to no good. You only have to look at the New Years Attacks in Cologne, Germany where over 1000 women were attacked at the Central Station in a single night, for evidence of this.                          
The most alarming factor of today's climate is not the rise in pickpocket case's but the rise in pickpocket related violence. It seems thieves have become bolder and more brazen in their methods and they wont take failure lightly. This travelers account of an attempted theft in Pickpocket City: Barcelona a few years back, shows just how careless perpetrators have become of being outed in public places or of authorities.
The below infographic offers some advice on how to stay safe and where remain vigilant. Of course the best solution to avoid being targeted is to not have any valuables to target... Or at least look like you don't.

 

Top Pickpocketing Cities

 

It should be stressed that while pickpocketing is a serious matter and one you should always be aware of, it should not affect your travel plans. You are more likely to be targeted as a tourist, but only if you invite such behavior, here's a guide how NOT to. The likelihood however, is that you will have an unforgettable trip of a lifetime and come home safe and sound with all the possessions you left with (except what you ditched to make way for all the purchases!). You will certainly increase your chances of doing so with some Clever Travel Companion gear.

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