Russian Rip-off: St. Petersburg pickpockets and thugs, part 2 of 5 (video)
bySt. Petersburg pickpockets St. Petersburg—we were surrounded by five hostile faces. Shaking inside, we stood firm until the men stalked off. Bob and I…
Thieves
Russian Rip-off: pickpockets and thugs
bySt. Petersburg— The beefiest of the five Mongolian thugs shoved his fist in front of Bob’s face, thrust forward his chin, and stared. Bob…
Street crime in Rome
byIn a quick visit to Rome last month, Bob and I found it pretty quiet on the streets, theft-wise. Granted, we only spent a…
Bob Arno’s path to pickpocketing
byAt the fork in the road I went left. I can thank the Parsis for my passion for photojournalism. Another man might have turned…
Bag snatch at the outdoor café
byWhat’s more charming than a leisurely break at an outdoor café? Coffee, a beer, a glass of wine, maybe lunch… You chat with friends…
Acoustic and luminous
byMaybe it’s a good idea to change the subject. Too much Barcelona negativity. So how ’bout, instead, I share a sign I saw at…
Beware women with cardboard
byBarcelona, Spain—They look like any ordinary girls, right? Walking down La Rambla, tossing their long braids, empty hands swinging casually. We only saw this…
Swift swiper strikes
byBarcelona, Spain—We’re walking along Carrer de Ferran, a block off La Rambla. Instead of paying attention to the street scene, I’m looking for a…
Pigeon poop pickpocket
byBarcelona, Spain—The Pigeon Poop Pickpocket got me with a double-blob on my back. I felt it ever-so-lightly and knew instantly we’d been accosted by…
A pickpocket technique updated
byBarcelona, Spain—We found Kharem again on La Rambla. He passed us head-on, with a huge smile. He didn’t notice us, but I recognized him….
Barcelona street crime today
byThree female thieves with cardboard shields; two thefts from a park; one pigeon poop pickpocket; one postcard technique theft; one very prolific, multi-talented pickpocket;…
Shoebox-camera
byOver the years we minimized our equipment as we acquired smaller and smaller cameras of broadcast quality. With lighter equipment we became more maneuverable,…
Naples: capital city of pickpockets, part 4 of 4
byCity of Hugs and Thugs. Naples, Italy— At the next stop, two more suspects pushed on beside me. The bus remained crowded all the…
Naples: capital city of pickpockets, part 3 of 4
byCity of Hugs and Thugs. Naples, Italy— We left Angelo and wandered around the corner, through the fish and produce market for a while….
Naples: capital city of pickpockets, part 2 of 4
byCity of Hugs and Thugs. Naples, Italy— Bob and I estimate that we saw 50 to 60 pickpockets in two hours on the trams…
Naples: capital city of pickpockets
byCity of Hugs and Thugs. Naples, Italy— Friday morning we had a friend take pictures of Bob and me getting onto crowded trams. A…
Invitation to steal
byBob and I must not be working hard enough. We’re just not getting the message out. We had a very good dinner at the…
Baby thieves
by…continuing the story Tourists and thieves: a collision course ROME POLICE OFFICER CELINI remembered us from previous visits and greeted us warmly. Without asking,…
Istanbul pickpockets & Turkish ice cream
byTurkey Vultures—We’re off duty in Istanbul, so we roam around the Grand Bazaar, buy a shawl, buy a cd, seize photo opportunities. We go…
Filming pickpockets
byBob and I began our field research on street thievery in 1993, when we quit our steady jobs in Las Vegas to combine freelancing…
Lock ’em up!
byKim Thomas, a Vegas cop, posted a telling comment on crime statistics, and criminal rehabilitation vs. incarceration. Detective Thomas is the author of Vegas:…
Tourists and thieves: a collision course
byYoshi Sugohara stood stoic and penniless in a phone booth, using our phone card. He called a number given him by the Rome police,…
Barcelona street crime
byYannick Laclau wrote about Barcelona, a city that Bob and I love. But Yannick’s news was a sad consequence of the ostrich hiding its…
Pockets and purses
byPockets and purses and those who pick them. I’ve posted two new pages: Pocketology 101 and Purseology 101. I’m thinking of adding video to…
Holiday headspace
byI remember when I used to hunt for wild mushrooms in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I’d find nothing the first hour or so. But…
How to steal a Rolex, Part 5 of 5
byNaples, Italy— After lunch, Mario must leave us and we four are left to stumble through the dangerous quarter accompanied only by pidgin. Officer…
How to steal a Rolex, Part 4 of 5
byNaples, Italy—Mario is not only intelligently fluent in English and Italian–he is interested in the conversation. He excavates the essence when Officer DC expounds…
How to steal a Rolex, Part 3 of 5
byNaples, Italy— For most of this day, we’ve been accompanied by Mario, a friend and fabulous translator. Born in Italy, educated in Australia, now…
How to steal a Rolex, Part 2 of 5
byNaples, Italy— We’re introduced to AS, tattooed and be-dogged, in front of his female family members. Women of several generations sit in plastic chairs…
How to steal a Rolex
byRolex theft Naples, Italy— Here’s something you didn’t know about Rolex theft. It takes two men to steal a new model Rolex, while the…