Tips on how to avoid falling victim to pickpockets in Rome.
Rome is generally a safe city for tourists however it has a long-standing problem with pickpockets, particularly in crowded areas and on public transport.
Despite an increased police presence on the city’s subway in recent times, pickpocketing remains rampant.
These opportunistic thieves are often small groups of girls and young women who work together, bustling in around their chosen victim who usually only notices their missing purse or wallet when it is too late.
However it is not just gangs of young girls – in recent years the pickpocket “business” in Rome has attracted various groups of people, usually from countries outside Italy.
Aside from standing too close, they can usually be identified by wearing hats, to shield their eyes from being seen, and often carry a jacket over their arm, to hide their stealing hands.
Tourists, particulary elderly visitors, are their primary source of “income”: the key to avoiding them is to be aware, prepared and not to make yourself an easy target.
Awareness and prevention
Stay alert, especially in crowded places including around popular tourist attractions, on public transportation, including subway elevators, as well as in markets and on busy streets.
One of the most common places to be pickpocketed is during the crush getting on and off subway trains, particularly in busy central metro stations including Termini, Colosseo, Spagna, Barberini and Ottaviano near the Vatican.
Rome’s 64 bus, which operates between Termini and St Peter’s, is also notorious as it is usually crowded with tourists.
In some cases pickpockets will work together on the street: after selecting their victim, one will walk in front and stop abruptly or slow the tourist down while the one behind strikes.
Another common place to get pickpocketed is while standing to cross the street at pedestrian crossings in the city centre or among crowds watching buskers perform on the street.
Sometimes pickpockets will strike after their accomplices create a fake scene or commotion to distract the victim.
Pickpockets will also watch people buying subway tickets at metro stations, observing where they put their wallet, before following them onto the train.
If seemingly kind people offer unsolicited advice on how to buy train tickets at ticket machines, they are likely seeking to steal the tourist’s wallet.
There are also cases of thieves snatching phones out of the hands of people sitting beside the exit of the subway train.
How to avoid falling victim to pickpockets in Rome
Secure your belongings
Keep your bag in front of your body, with your hand on the zip. Cross-body bags are a good choice, as are money belts.
Backpacks are vulnerable, so if you use one, wear it on your chest in crowded areas.
Leave valuables at hotel
Don’t carry all your cash, multiple credit cards or your passport with you. Leave what you don’t need in a safe at your hotel, and carry a photocopy or digital copy of your passport.
Don’t be a target
Avoid keeping anything valuable in your back pockets and never leave your luggage unattended.
When sitting at a restaurant, particularly outdoors, keep the strap of your backpack looped around your arm, leg or chair leg.
Don’t leave your phone or camera on restaurant tables and never hang your bag on the back of your chair while sitting at a bar or restaurant.
Following these simple tips will greatly reduce your chances of being pickpocketed in Rome and avoid having your vacation ruined.
