A Jolly Good Trip

PICKPOCKETS IN THE BUENOS AIRES SUBWAY

One of the concerns about travelling is the fact that you have to carry all of your valuables, money, credit cards, and important documents on your person or in your luggage. Being a tourist in foreign lands also makes you stand out and makes you a target for thieves. As you have already read, Lisa and I were victimized in a Peru bus station when my knapsack was stolen under my nose when our attention was momentarily distracted.

Both of us are clearly tourists travelling in South America: we’re both tall, blonde, wear our North Face clothing including cargo pants (that can be un-zipped and made into shorts) and carry a knapsack and other luggage around airports, bus terminals, and city streets. We also frequently look lost and can be observed consulting city maps while looking around for street signs. Lisa’s baseball cap and my Tilley hat are also dead giveaways. Very obviously, we are GRINGOS and it’s written all over us. For some, this means that we are obvious targets.

Stories of victimization are common amongst travellers and there are also plenty of warnings in travel books and on the internet in individual travel blogs. It is clear that as a traveller, you have to be cautious and diligent. At the same time, one does not wish to become nervous and paranoid or unfriendly (or even worse — rude) to all the locals who approach you. Most of them are just being helpful and friendly and the experience of travelling is enhanced by these encounters. In fact, hustlers are relatively uncommon in South America and most people who approach us are genuinely friendly and only wishing to be helpful.

After the lost of our bag in Peru, Lisa and I became more vigilant and careful about theft and losses. For instance, we check our rooms thoroughly and make sure we don’t leave our jackets or sweaters behind in a restaurant or our luggage unattended or unwatched.

Even though this becomes almost second nature after awhile, it is tiresome and begins to wear you down. We are always making small decisions about where to sit and place our knapsacks and ensure that one person watches over our possessions if the other goes window shopping or off to the toilet. Given the fact that we are constantly in public places, you can see that this is a continual effort and hassle. Travelling means that you constantly have to keep your guard up and be vigilant and suspicious.

On crowded streets and other public places, I typically walk behind Lisa to ensure that she is not hassled or grabbed by any perverts. This can be a problem in certain countries and I feel better if I can keep an eye on her. In addition, she normally carries her knapsack with the camera and laptop and I normally leave mine behind in the room.

Travellers also have to make a number of other decisions regarding security. Since we are constantly staying in hotels and hostels, we have to leave our luggage behind as we go out for tours, walkabouts, dinner etc. Both Lisa and I have locks for our suitcases but this will not prevent any determined thief from walking off with them or from searching their contents. We also take a chance when we leave the suitcases in the secure rooms of hotels after we have checked out but before we catch our next bus or plane out of town. Often these rooms are not very secure at all and other travellers and staff have free access. It is not uncommon to hear from travellers that they have had money or cameras stolen from their hostel or hotel room or from their storage room.

This means that one has to decide what to leave behind in the suitcase and what to carry on one’s person. When I travel, I always carry my most important valuables on my person. This includes our passports, plane and bus tickets, credit and ABM cards, my driver’s licence, and all of our cash. My reason for doing so is that these items are typically what thieves are after and they are the most difficult to replace. In particular, I am most concerned about passports, credit and ABM cards, and driver’s licence. I can replace any cash that might be stolen or lost but I can only imagine the problems Lisa and I would have trying to replace passports and bank cards in places like Peru and Bolivia.

One of the assumptions that I work on is that I am less likely to be robbed in person than have my personal property stolen from my hotel room. By the way, robbery is defined as a crime of violence and theft where the offender confronts the victim and uses violence or the threat of violence to obtain property from the victim — ( Please see and purchase my book Force and Fear: Robbery in Canada for a thorough discussion of definitional issues and other interesting stuff).

Most of the victimization we hear about involves theft and not robbery. Robberies are likely to occur in remote or out-of-the-way places such as parks and underground parking lots after dark. Lisa and I are very careful to avoid making ourselves vulnerable to robbery.

Theft is the most common problem and we are also alert to this. Vigilance is most important in busy places like public transportation hubs — subways, buses, trains, and airport terminals. We watch our luggage carefully and never leave it unattended.

We are also alert to the possibility that there are pickpockets about. A British girl we met at Lake Titicaca in Bolivia described how her camera was stolen out of her pocket as she and her boyfriend walked through a crowded restaurant in Peru. Lisa has even read about thieves who use razor blades to slice open sealed pockets to get at someone’s money or wallet.

We have been to several restaurants in Lima, Santiago, and Buenos Aires who have straps with snaps on the chairs which allow you to secure purses, handbags, daypacks, etc. While enjoying a nice lunch at a downtown street cafe in Buenos Aires, young roma-type children (@ 6 and 4 years) were working their way through the restaurant, obviously looking to take something.

Since I carry most of our money, bank cards, passports, and other papers and documents, I am very careful to keep them in the sealed front pockets of my trousers. All of my cargo pants have several pockets all with velcro or zipper sealed pockets. I keep the passports, large amounts of local currency, and other papers in my sealed left pocket. I keep a small wallet with bank cards etc. and our emergency supply of US cash (about $600) in my sealed right pocket.

I also keep some local currency in my right unsealed pocket since I am constantly in need of money for small items such as water, restaurants, taxis, newspapers, etc. Having this cash readily available means that I don’t have to open my sealed pockets in public places. Keep in mind that I sometimes carry a small knapsack when we are about and this leaves me with only one hand free and means that I am vulnerable to distractions and possible theft.

All of this leads up to the subway incident. On this particular day, Lisa and I were on our way to the central postal station in Buenos Aires to forward a package of souvenirs, books, and some clothing back to Canada. We had most of our stuff in my knapsack and a few items in a plastic bag. I carried the knapsack and Lisa carried the bag.

We had decided to take the subway for the experience and also because it was close to our hostel and the post office was miles away. Before going down the subway, we stopped at an ATM to obtain some Argentinian pesos. I took out several hundred dollars and forgot to split the money and place the large bills into my left sealed pocket for safety. Instead, I put all the money into my open right hand pocket.

This was clearly a mistake but as I mentioned before, it is difficult to keep your guard up constantly since we never have to act this way at home. It’s hard not to make mistakes on occasion when it comes to security issues. This was one of those times. I was too distracted thinking about how we were going to manoeuvre our way through the subway (everything is in Spanish and it seems that hardly anyone in Buenos Aires, or South America, speaks English).

In addition, I did not expect the crowding and chaos we experienced in the underground. The last time I had been in a subway was in Berlin two years earlier, and London 4 years earlier, and their systems were relatively uncrowded and peaceful. Before that, I had not been in a subway in more than 20 years.

Descending into the subway system of Buenos Aires was fine and we were able to quickly determine which train to take. There were only a handful of passengers waiting on the platform but I was soon shocked when the train pulled up. All cars were packed and no one was getting off! Instead, the passengers on the platform were forcing their way into the train as those within attempted to move to accommodate them. Lisa and I also forced our way on and the doors closed behind us.

We were packed in there like sardines and it was difficult to reach through the crowd to grab hold of the metal bar. I was carrying our knapsack in my left hand but had to put it on the floor on my feet because of the weight. I used my left arm to grab the post as the train took off.

I also became suddenly aware of the fact that I had a lot of money in my right open pocket and dropped my right hand down to protect it. Suddenly I remembered and became concerned about the passports in my left sealed pocked remembering what Lisa had read about the razor blades. Lisa was also concerned about our circumstances and reminded me to watch our for thieves.

I wanted to remove the cash from my unsecured pocket and place it into a sealed one but I didn’t want to do this in such a public place. We realized that we had to travel eight stops before we got off and had little choice but to stay put. Unbelievably, the train added more passengers at each stop and we were pressed closer and closer together.

Finally we arrived at the main terminal and we were able to get off without incident. We moved over to the side wall and tried to figure out where to make the next connection and were assisted by a kindly Argentinian who spoke English. The exit was only a few steps away and down a short set of stairs. I was still very conscious of the money in my open pocket and wanted to move it but the station was still very crowded and we were on the move again.

When we got to the bottom of the stairs, we checked the subway directions on the wall and determined that we were on the right platform. Everything had moved very quickly but so far, it had all gone smoothly. There were only a handful of passengers waiting as the train pulled up. We had been waiting less than a moment and I had not had the opportunity to move the cash out of my pocket.

The train was again packed but since this was the main terminal, almost all of them were disembarking. We stood back as they got off and Lisa stepped onto the train. I was right behind her holding the knapsack in my left hand and protecting my pocket with my right hand. As I placed my first step onto the train, I felt someone’s hand slip into my right pocket — the pocket with all of our unprotected cash!

I don’t know whether or not I would have felt this intrusion if I hadn’t been so vigilant and slightly paranoid. But there was no mistaking it — someone had slipped their hand into my pocket. I didn’t feel them take the money, however, and was surprised that they were able to get it so quickly and almost effortlessly.

Without thinking, I began yelling “HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY! ….” — I don’t know how many times. I also wheeled about to my right still conscious of the knapsack that I held tightly in my left hand. When I turned, I expected to confront a man or male thief but instead was face to face with a 40 year old woman whose arms were covered with what appeared to be a white sweater. I realized right away that she was the only person who could have done it and I instinctively grabbed her left arm under the sweater with my free right hand.

I realized immediately that this woman was using the sweater to hide her arms and that she did this so that other passengers could not see her hand in someone’s else’s pocket. Even though I could not see the money (I didn’t even realize she had taken it — I thought it was still in my pocket) I knew she was the culprit. Her proximity, the sweater, the look in her eyes. I just knew it.

She was only about five feet tall and looked up at me in shock. I had her by the arm and I was still yelling “HEY! HEY! HEY!”. She was staring me in the face and her eyes were bulging huge and she suddenly threw all of the money on the subway platform.

I didn’t actually see her throw the money since both of her arms were below the sweater. I only saw the sweater move under her right arm and the money was flying everywhere.

It’s clear now that she knew she was caught and this was a ploy to avoid capture. Being a criminologist, I know that skilled thieves have a number of tricks up their sleeves including the use of diversions and partners who can intervene to help in an escape. I don’t know whether or not she worked with an associate but her quick reaction in dropping the money worked and she made good her esscape.

There was a crowd of passengers around us trying to get onto the train when all of this transpired. They no doubt heard my yelling and witnessed what happened next. I dropped to the platform on my hands and knees and began to scoop up the money with my free right hand. All I could see was money everywhere and the legs of passengers.

Several people stepped on some of the bills since they were blowing about slightly. I saw a few hands reach for the money but they were prevented from scooping them up by people who stepped on the bills. I even saw someone’s hand point to me indicating that it was my money.

I stuffed a fist full of bills into my right pocket and grabbed the rest with my right hand and stuffed them in my left pocket. I could hear Lisa behind me asking what had happened. I didn’t have time to answer.

As I moved to pick up the money from under the passengers feet, each one of them lifted their feet to allow me to pick up the bills. It was a strange experience to be helped by people who I couldn’t even see. I only ever saw their legs.

As I grabbed the last bill and stood up, one man indicated to Lisa that one of the bills had fallen down onto the tracks. I told Lisa to forget it and to get onto the train.

Fortunately, the train was less than half-full and we were able to sit down opposite one another. All of this had taken only ten seconds or so and Lisa was still unsure what had happened. I told her that a lady had tried to pick my pocked but had thrown the money on the platform when I grabbed hold of her. Lisa heard me yelling and had turned around to see me on my hands and knees picking up the cash. She didn’t see the woman but saw one man stepping on some of the money. Her first thought was to grab the guy by the throat (Lisa is a former police officer). He was probably one of the kind persons helping me so thank God, she didn’t assault the poor guy.

Everyone in the subway was looking at us and a couple of passengers asked Lisa in Spanish what happened. No one probably saw the woman put her hand in my pocket but they would have all heard me yelling, seen the money everywhere, and witnessed me scrambling to pick it up.

Lisa indicated through hand motions that someone had put their hands in my pocket and everybody nodded knowingly. A few people began speaking in Spanish but we could only speculate what they were saying or what advice they had to offer. Everyone looked sympathetic and concerned just as the passengers in the Tumbes bus terminal in Peru had been after I had my knapsack stolen.

While we waited for our stop, I pulled the crinkled bills out of my right and left unsecured pockets and stuffed them into the velcro secured pockets. People on the subway watched and I was very conscious of this but I was taking no more chances.

Once we arrived at our destination and got out of the subway onto the street, we hailed a taxi and took it to the central Post Office. We took a number and a seat and waited our turn. When it became apparent that it would be awhile, I decided to remove the crinkled bills, count them, determine our losses if any, fold them, and place them back in my sealed pockets.

I was not entirely sure how much money I had to begin with but it did not appear that there was any money missing. I may have lost one $100 Peso bill under the tracks of the subway but not much more. This would have been worth about $30 US.

Lisa and I were a little upset by the incident and for having made yet another mistake regarding security. We also realized that these thieves were good, that it is difficult to always have your guard up, and that it could have been much worse. We also know that in travelling for eight months to so many different countries, we are likely to experience problems of various sorts. In the grand scheme of things, this incident was relatively minor and we are still upbeat but cautious. We find most people extremely friendly and helpful and we don’t walk around paranoid and suspicious.

By the way, we spent the rest of the day exploring downtown Buenos Aires and took a taxi back to our hostel. Not the subway.