Pickpocket's Paradise

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Although Barcelona is a beautiful city with a young vibe, it has a pickpocket issue. All of us study abroad students were bombarded with safety information on how to deal with pickpockets in the city. We listened to presentations from Barcelona police officers and were told that Barcelona is one of, if not the most, pickpocket-ridden cities in the world. We learned that the thieves are very professional when it comes to this business. They will use distractions and very tricky means to snatch up valuables. A lot of us became very paranoid about the issue after our first day of listening about this issue for several hours.

I try to be as safe as I can when I walk through busy areas of Barcelona. The city feels safe but I still need to be aware of what's happening around me. After I listened to the presentations I decided to carry in my wallet only what is necessary: some euros, my subway ticket, and identification. Luckily, I live in an area of the city that is considered very safe; I just need to be alert when I'm on the Metro or in dangerous parts of the city.

That being said, I try to not get too worried about the issue. If I think about it too much I get too nervous about something I have little control over. We'll see if I can go the whole 14 weeks without running into this sort of trouble. It would be nice to not personally experience a pickpocket issue because I really enjoy Barcelona.

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Comments

[Betty Heaton]

Pickpocket
Put a rubber band around your wallet and or money clip. If someone tries to remove it, you will feel it. I would use one that is thicker vs. a real thin one.