Smartphone theft and police response
bySince recently coming to understand the high numbers of smartphone theft in Barcelona, the manners in which they’re stolen, and the strategic refusal of…
Since recently coming to understand the high numbers of smartphone theft in Barcelona, the manners in which they’re stolen, and the strategic refusal of…
Barcelona police are eager to report a theft when they catch the thief and return the victim’s property—if the following story is any indication….
Thieves who operate on the principles of stealth, motion, or impedence strive to minimize contact with their victim. Zero face-time is their preference. Minimal…
I met the elderly British victim moments after her bag was stolen. She’d been sitting on the beach in Alicante, Spain, eating potato chips….
A hotel I stayed in was unabashed enough to provide shampoo in a water glass! Obviously they’d simply run out of amenity bottles. But…
Smartphone theft Smartphone theft is out of control. Phones are flying off cafe tables right under the noses of their owners. The thieves are…
Barcelona police are turning away theft victims who come to report the theft of their phones. Why? The victims can’t provide the stolen phones’…
Bob and I visited the Barcelona police station for information and found the usual line of victims reporting thefts. I asked a young Norwegian…
Are you going to London for the Olympic games this summer? Are you going to Europe? Are you going anywhere? Bob Arno urges you…
Nice square sink at the stylish Empire Hotel in Manhattan. Delicious little apples, too. Another example of form over function though. You can barely…
Never thought I’d be on a ship trying to outrun Somali pirates. Bob and I recently sailed across the Arabian sea in pirate-infested waters….
What’s in all the brilliant-colored baskets? Spice? Dye? After witnessing the most amazing train-boarding process ever, we descended from the “flyover footpath” and found…
Out the window of our Mumbai hotel room, across the street: a beautiful building of apartments, or maybe it’s another hotel. On the roof…
I’m a sucker for adorable beggar children on the streets of Mumbai. It’s impossible to look away, not reach for a coin. Now that…
All these Mumbai stories of trains, crowds, swamis, the slum called Dharavi, and promises of more stories… What you’re really wondering is: did the…
The train to the slum wasn’t crowded, due to the hour and our direction of travel. Although there were plenty of seats, the swami…
You saw Slumdog Millionaire, right? It was filmed in Dharavi, one of the world’s largest, densest slums. Bob and I spent half a day…
We bought second-class train tickets (for our thiefhunting) and rode the most crowded Mumbai trains ever. No—you can’t imagine how crowded. Speeding into the…
Don’t Lose Your Wallet – A Conversation With Street Crime Expert Bob Arno ChoosyNomad.com Questions by David Matesanz You originally began your career as…
The San Francesco al Monte hotel in Naples, Italy, a former monastery originally carved into the mountain in the 16th century, is a warren…
A pickpocket-proof tank top that comfortable to wear. Pickpocket-proof underwear with zipper pockets. Boy shorts for women with zip pockets.
I have to laugh at the great sense of humor shown by the creators of Stashitware, men’s and women’s pickpocket-proof underwear. Start with the…
Seems everyone knows someone who’s been robbed in Barcelona. And sadly, the city we love to visit shows no signs of improvement on the…
Back at the Jumeriah Emirates Towers in Dubai again. This time, in a cupboard, I find slippers in a can. Why? Isn’t this a…
Huffington Post picked up an interview of Bob Arno from over on JustLuxe.com a few days ago. Here’s a reprint of the question and…
In the most staid of Dubai’s many elegant hotels, the most conservative and sedate, the Jumeriah Emirates Towers, provokes a little smile. This after…
I was somewhere near the intersection of the equator and the international dateline when I saw this sign at airport security. Plis putum algeta…
Contrast Mamak with our New Year’s day dinner at Appetito, also in Sydney. Recommended by two people, nearby—and most important: open—it seemed a reasonable…
Mamak is worth standing in line for. Bob and I waited 50 minutes for what is actually rather ordinary Malaysian food. But you can’t…
This very cup, holding this very fine pen, sat on a desk in our room. The coffee cup was from the hotel’s restaurant. The…