Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves

[Rosethorn40]

The following is NOT to scare anyone from going to Northern Europe on a cruise, but the warnings are everywhere; On the ship's daily newsletter, our guides, these threads.

 

Before leaving on our 12-day Baltic cruise I had read a number of warnings to watch for pickpockets, especially in St. Petersburg, Russia, where, so I was told, they were especially brazen. Needless to say, every time we were out and about I was on high alert. Our experience was as follows. Wasn't attacked in St. Petersburg, never felt unsafe. Did not hear of any problems with any other passengers on our ship.

 

 

Tallinn, Estonia-We came near to being mugged. We were wandering around in an area that was suddenly devoid of tourists. I looked back and noticed a young man that appeared to be following us. He had no camera or other signs of being a tourist himself, in fact he was wearing a hoodie, pulled up, and partly over his face. We walked down different side streets, almost in a circle to make sure we were not being paranoid, but he got closer. I finally turned around and faced him with a "I see you, and I know that you are up to no good, but I am not going down without a fight" look. He stopped, and looked back. For several seconds I felt like I was in the Old West, staring down a fellow gunfighter. I guess he decided he didn't want to mess with me, because he suddenly turned and walked away. Later, I heard from several other passengers on our ship, that their tours were stopped by police who warned their guides that there were a large number of pickpockets in town, and to be on the look out. Also, noticed a lot of beggars, especially old women outside of churches.

 

 

Helsinki-Was warned about pickpockets, but felt very safe. May have been because it was Midsummers Eve, a big holiday in Finland, and Helsinki was light on people that day.

 

 

Stockholm, Sweden-Must be on your guard! The cruise before us 2 crew members were victims of pickpockets and a female passenger was stabbed! While in a the Vasa museum a man on our ship, but not on our tour was robbed. The Vasa museum even announced while we were there that there were pickpockets active in the museum at that very moment! The usual trick is for someone to ask you to sign something, and while you are distracted, their partner with pick your pocket. Also noticed a lot a beggars around Glam Stan. They were very brazen, coming up to our tour while we were in a circle around our guide and jingle their plastic cup practically in our faces asking for coins. Also very thick around grocery stores and restaurants.

 

 

The small towns we were in Germany didn't seem to have the same problems as the big cities regarding beggars & thieves.

 

 

Tips to avoid becoming a victim.

 

 

Don't carry too much cash, or too many credit cards just in case.

 

 

Ladies, wear a crossover bag if you must carry a purse, and carry it in front of you.

 

 

Stay in groups, don't wander off by yourself

 

 

Don't flash money. I think we may have been noticed in Tallinn because I gave money to the two beggars I saw outside a church. Yes, it seems harsh, but ignore the beggars, they may be part of a larger gang.

 

 

Don't sign anything! Be extra vigilant if someone stops you to ask a question.

 

 

Areas that you pay an admission fee can be especially venerable because you let down your guard; the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the Vasa Museum are two very active places for pickpockets as are churches.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Rosethorn40

[GradUT]

Thank you, Rosethorn, for the useful information. It's always wise to be on your guard no matter where you travel.

Edited June 26, 2015 by GradUT

[ProfTW]

 

Stockholm, Sweden-Must be on your guard! The cruise before us 2 crew members were victims of pickpockets and a female passenger was stabbed!

 

Thanks for the head up.

 

From your signature, it looks like we will be doing a similar cruise on the Eurodam in a few weeks.

 

We have prepared ourselves and are fully aware of the pickpocket situation in many European cities. However, I found your mention of a female passenger being stabbed quite disconcerting. Do you have any details of where and what happened? Just want some more information to make smart decisions for my family. Thanks.

[Rosethorn40]

Thanks for the head up.

 

From your signature, it looks like we will be doing a similar cruise on the Eurodam in a few weeks.

 

We have prepared ourselves and are fully aware of the pickpocket situation in many European cities. However, I found your mention of a female passenger being stabbed quite disconcerting. Do you have any details of where and what happened? Just want some more information to make smart decisions for my family. Thanks.

 

I heard of the story from two crew members, who didn't have much in the way of details. I know she was with a male companion, not part of a larger group or taking part in a tour. I do not believe her injury was fatal (Thank God), but serious enough to require hospitalization. I did ask other crew members around the ship, and it seemed that everyone was aware of the story, but no one had any firm details. I don't think any passengers on that particular cruise were aware of the incident as I didn't see anything on the HAL boards regarding a passenger stabbing. I do think it was isolated.

 

I will tell you on day two we took the HOHO boat to the stop near the ABBA museum, and waked up to Skansen (A wonderful open air museum) and felt very safe. Lots of families about and I don't think the locals would risk their children's safety if the area had a reputation of being unsafe. The old town has lots of narrow streets that I probably would not go down alone, unless I took stock of open shops that I could duck into if I felt uneasy.

 

My purpose in telling about what we experienced was to remind people to stay on guard and be aware. I was careless, and despite my best intentions continued to be careless. It is so easy when you are staring open-mouthed at a palace, castle or church, fumbling for your camera, trying to take that perfect shot and you may not realize that that person who slightly bumped you, just relieved you of your wallet.

[gaelsail]

Strangely enough, the only place we've had a real problem was Bergen, Norway when one of our party had their wallet stolen. The only time this could have happened was when were jostled returning to the ship- by passengers going to another 2 large cruise ships :mad:

 

Fortunately, we've never had problems at any other time in Bergen or Norway :)

[Jonza]

Pickpockets are the biggest threat in Northern Europe and you should be aware of you surroundings. Violent crime is pretty rare and the statistical likelihood of being robbed is typically lower than in the U.S.. According to UN statistics the U.S. had 107.8 robberies per 100,000 people in 2013. Along a Baltic cruise Sweden has 87.4, Russia 64.5, Germany 57.1, Denmark 56.8, Estonia 37.0, Norway 33.1, and Finland 28.1. Going a little west: England and Wales have a 101.5, France 193.9, Belgium 1,616.0 and the Netherlands 78.1. So only France and Belgium have higher robbery rates than the U.S. (https://data.unodc.org/) In general I would say normal caution you would exercise in any big city is in place, but there is no reason to be scared of being robbed.

 

The stabbing in Stockholm was widely in the news also in the neighboring countries. Here's an article in English: http://www.thelocal.se/20150605/multiple-stabbing-in-major-stockholm-square From Swedish sources I found that at least one of the suspects had mental problems and the victims were chosen at random. Both victims were released from the hospital on the following day.

[Rosethorn40]

Pickpockets are the biggest threat in Northern Europe and you should be aware of you surroundings. Violent crime is pretty rare and the statistical likelihood of being robbed is typically lower than in the U.S.. According to UN statistics the U.S. had 107.8 robberies per 100,000 people in 2013. Along a Baltic cruise Sweden has 87.4, Russia 64.5, Germany 57.1, Denmark 56.8, Estonia 37.0, Norway 33.1, and Finland 28.1. Going a little west: England and Wales have a 101.5, France 193.9, Belgium 1,616.0 and the Netherlands 78.1. So only France and Belgium have higher robbery rates than the U.S. (https://data.unodc.org/) In general I would say normal caution you would exercise in any big city is in place, but there is no reason to be scared of being robbed.

 

The stabbing in Stockholm was widely in the news also in the neighboring countries. Here's an article in English: http://www.thelocal.se/20150605/multiple-stabbing-in-major-stockholm-square From Swedish sources I found that at least one of the suspects had mental problems and the victims were chosen at random. Both victims were released from the hospital on the following day.

 

Thank you for providing the link to the story in English. I am relived to hear that neither person had fatal injuries.

 

BTW both my husband and I were surprised and delighted by how beautiful Helsinki is. I especially loved the ratio of green space to buildings, and it's so clean! One thing I particularly like was the separate automobile, biking and pedestrian lanes throughout the city. That is a great safety feature. In some cities/towns I felt more in danger from people on bicycles than from pickpockets.

[Donna_In_India]

Thanks for the reminder. It's common sense to be vigilant wherever in the world you travel.

 

I'm curious about the pickpockets....I assume the targets are males because most women use a purse/bag. I use a backpack (keeps me handsfree and has extra space for camera lenses) and I think it would be pretty hard for anyone to get into it, especially into an inside pocket where I keep my cash/cards. I've never been overly cautious...perhaps I've just been lucky?

Edited June 27, 2015 by Donna_In_India

[ProfTW]

Thanks for the information Rosethorn40 and Jonza. Appreciate it.

 

The stabbings appears to have been a random extra-ordinary incident. The advice about the side streets in old town is great though.

 

How terrible for these two ladies to have their vacation so violently interrupted. Thank God they are all right.

 

Safe travel to all!

[buggins0402]

Pickpockets are the biggest threat in Northern Europe and you should be aware of you surroundings. Violent crime is pretty rare and the statistical likelihood of being robbed is typically lower than in the U.S.. According to UN statistics the U.S. had 107.8 robberies per 100,000 people in 2013. Along a Baltic cruise Sweden has 87.4, Russia 64.5, Germany 57.1, Denmark 56.8, Estonia 37.0, Norway 33.1, and Finland 28.1. Going a little west: England and Wales have a 101.5, France 193.9, Belgium 1,616.0 and the Netherlands 78.1. So only France and Belgium have higher robbery rates than the U.S. (https://data.unodc.org/) In general I would say normal caution you would exercise in any big city is in place, but there is no reason to be scared of being robbed.

 

The stabbing in Stockholm was widely in the news also in the neighboring countries. Here's an article in English: http://www.thelocal.se/20150605/multiple-stabbing-in-major-stockholm-square From Swedish sources I found that at least one of the suspects had mental problems and the victims were chosen at random. Both victims were released from the hospital on the following day.

 

Is the number for Belgium a misprint, or is something causing an aberration in the statistic? Brussels is one of only two cities where we had a pickpocket attempt in all our trips to Europe (the other was Rome), but we never felt unsafe at any time...it was just an odd occurrence on a quiet Sunday morning entering underground station. We probably looked like easy targets and no one was around.

[Jonza]

Is the number for Belgium a misprint, or is something causing an aberration in the statistic? Brussels is one of only two cities where we had a pickpocket attempt in all our trips to Europe (the other was Rome), but we never felt unsafe at any time...it was just an odd occurrence on a quiet Sunday morning entering underground station. We probably looked like easy targets and no one was around.

Not a misprint, but it looks abnormally high compared to its neighbors. I tried to figure out the reason and after some googling found that the Belgian number likely includes robberies and attempted robberies reported to the police.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Yikes! OP, I was on the Eurodam voyage just prior to yours. Some of our ports were the same (Stockholm for two days, Helsinki, Warnemunde) but we did not port in Russia or Tallin, (we had two stops in Norway) and we did not have or hear of any issues. Nor did the excellent port lecturer say anything in his many presentations about unusual levels of petty crime.

 

But always good to be vigilant about personal safety, wherever you are!

Edited June 27, 2015 by sunsetbeachgal

[eurolady]

Rosethorn40's caution should be taken seriously.....I was in St. Petersburg last year at the Peterhof gardens and an attempt was made to pickpocket me. I was wearing a crossbody anti=theft bag with the locking mechanisms in place. (This bag also has a cable running through the strap, and a mesh anti-slash lining) It was a woman in her 40's well-dressed walking arm in arm with another woman. She slipped her arm between myself and the backside zippered pocket. I felt the arm briefly and heard the zipper. This happened with unbelievable lightning speed and there was no way anyone could react fast enough. I never keep anything in that pocket, but a foldable rainhat. So she was not successful. I quickly warned the others we were with as she easily disappeared into the large crowds.

 

Like Rosethorn40, I am not trying to scare anyone, but I often cringe when I hear others say they are safe from pickpockets by keeping something in a pocket on their handbag close to their person. Gentlemen if you are thinking about those cargo pockets on pants....don't do it. I lived in London a number of years and the artful dodger is alive and well with cousins all over the world.

 

As I stated previously, I am not trying to scare anyone or detract from anyone's good time.....just another voice with a word of caution....so you can enjoy your time while you keep your documents and money with no worries.

[Rosethorn40]

Yikes! OP, I was on the Eurodam voyage just prior to yours. Some of our ports were the same (Stockholm for two days, Helsinki, Warnemunde) but we did not port in Russia or Tallin, (we had two stops in Norway) and we did not have or hear of any issues. Nor did the excellent port lecturer say anything in his many presentations about unusual levels of petty crime.

 

But always good to be vigilant about personal safety, wherever you are!

 

It's my understanding it was on your cruise that the passenger was stabbed in Stockholm, but I am not surprised no mention was made of it by the ship. I have heard that on voyages where a person has died no announcement is made, only the tablemates of the person (If they had traditional dining) are quietly told. I was on a cruise to Hawaii in 2010 and a passenger died on board of a heart attack, and no mention was made by the ship. I heard the Code Alpha, and saw the ambulance on the pier. I asked my room steward about it later and he told me what had happened.

Edited June 27, 2015 by Rosethorn40