Job Discussion Forums

[Serious_Fun]

I saw a purse-snatcher in Madrid push an old woman to the ground as he made his play...it was too far away for me to help...

The following day in Madrid I actually caught a pickpocket as she tried to take my wallet; she was a short gypsy woman who denied everything as I screamed at her with my finest Spanish vituperatives! Thank God I felt something that caused me to look down and see her "tradecraft".

The next day, in Toledo, a local man returned my girlfriend's wallet that she had accidently dropped in a gift shop near the cathedral! Holy Toledo is right!

[jr1965]

Back in the summer, my husband was at the ATM downstairs from our apartment (we live near the Conde Casal subway stop in Madrid, not a touristy, expat area) at around 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon. The street was quiet (it being lunchtime) and these two gypsy teenagers tried to jump him to get the money he'd taken from the bank. Luckily, my husband is not a small man and when he turned round quickly, he shouted at them, which in combination with his size freaked them out and they ran off.

Another time, about a year ago, I saw a woman right across from my apartment get mugged. She was South American and the guys who jumped her were as well. She'd just come from the bank with about 3,000 euros�all her savings. It all happened so fast that by the time people understood what was going on, the guys were gone and the woman had lost everything. She was devastated. The guys had clearly been watching her (and the bank). There you go.

I've also heard recently of how people who are casing a street will mark the front of apartment buildings with certain symbols that note, for example, when the doorman is away (but the door is unlocked), when the mail is delivered, etc. Basically they're sending signals to their comrades telling them the best time to get into a building.

Of course, you have to be mindful anywhere, but still, I'd say there is a lot more of this kind of "petty" crime (pickpocketing, mugging) in Madrid (and all over the city, not just in touristy areas) than there is in other cities. Interestingly, most of the stories I've heard of people getting money stolen were living in the city and weren't tourists.

[SirKirby]

[Moore]

There is definitely more pickpocketing/bag-nicking in Spain than in many other cities, but quite probably less or the same as in others.

Every country has it's "preferred" sort of petty crime: in Amsterdam my bike got stolen regularly, but pickpocketing/bag theft was much less common. In Thailand you are much more likely to be defrauded than directly robbed, in the UK opportunistic burglary is rife.

You just have to look at how local girls keep a hawk-like eye on their bags, often using the thoughtfully provided hooks all around the bottom of the bar for just such a purpose. I did a quick poll of my business students here and they all say that bag theft and pickpocketing are very common crimes here.

It all depends where you are coming from: if your last teaching stint was in Moscow or Milan or Mexico city then never leaving any valuables unwatched for even a second in a bar may well be second nature, but if you're coming from somewhere where that particular sort of crime is less frequent then you have to be aware that Madrid and Barcelona are on on the list of that sort of city.

Obviously, wandering through a city late at night after a few too many beers is not very intelligent, nor is looking too much like a tourist or leaving your mobile phone on the bar while you nip to the bathroom, but than again many people quite rightly think of this as a basic right and not something that should automatically be "punished" by some oaf robbing you: we all pay a lot of taxes to maintain that ideal.


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[jr1965]

Sir Kirby

This was only my opinion, not a statement based on any sort of empirical study. The comment was based on my experience living here for the last three years and regularly spending time in Madrid for the last twelve. I have both witnessed (on the street, in my neighborhood, on the subway, in touristy places like Sol and the Plaza Mayor, etc.) and known people who have been the victim of pickpockets and muggers. When I compare this with other cities I have lived in for a long period of time (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, Vienna) and other cites I have spent time in, Madrid just seems to have a higher incidence of that kind of petty crime than, say, San Francisco or L.A. On the other hand, those two cities have a higher incidence of gun crime and gang violence�something you don't hear about as much in Madrid. I don't think I'm exaggerating by saying that. Anyway, I'd be as cautious with my money wherever I was: in Los Angeles, Seoul, or Madrid. A city is a city.

[booty]

[booty]

[mise_me_fein]

Why don�t you just keep your hands in your pockets guys. I�ve not had any problems in Madrid. I�ve been here for 7 weeks. If anyone attempts to steal anything on me I will hesistate to thump them.

[SirKirby]

I'm not suggesting that it doesn't happen -- it does!

What I am sayng is that you can make it a whole lot less likely to happen to you if you take sensible precautions.

[mdk]

[MO39]

[jonniboy]

[mdk]

The simplest rule is that nothing goes in your pocket that you can�t afford to lose. Ditto for any bag. I have a safe I wear under my pants and they haven�t managed to get at that yet - although I know there are sinister mentalities working on it even as we speak..�

When the gypsy in Barcelona got into my face at the sidewalk cafe so I wouldn�t notice his pal swiping my man purse with my ipod and 200 euros, I often fantasized about walking around with a baited bag containing one of those dye bombs they use on bank robbers. Too bad the cops in Barcelona are so nonchalant. I would love to see some of these clowns dyed a bright vermillion trying to scrub it off

It doesn�s scrub off you know.

[mise_me_fein]

[mdk]