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The thing to know about pickpockets, Capt. Kevin Shanahan of the British Transport Police was saying, is that they are like fishermen. They like to hang out where they will find the fishIn most big cities such as London, that means they hang out in crowded coaches and station platforms on the subway system in London, its the Underground, or Tube and commuter train stations, where the sardinelike crush of humanity in rush hour makes for easy pickings I had more than idle curiosity for seeking out Shanahan, chief of Londons pickpocket squad. Twice recently, on different continents, I had been the target of pickpockets in subway stations. Only my wifes screams on a Paris escalator last year thwarted the second thief.Coincidentally, on the eve of my appointment with the captain, my wife, Irene, and I had chased off yet another crook, this one as he tried for my tote bag while we sipped afternoon tea in a cafe.I asked Shanahan if U.S. tourists set themselves up for attack. Well, you do tend to carry more cash around with you than any other travelers except the Japanese, he replied.He said women are better quarry because their purses usually are easier to get at than mens wallets. But the soaring number of cell phone thefts suggests that men are getting hit much more.Shanahan said a travelers best foil against pickpockets is his alertness. Develop a constant awareness of your own space and your surroundings, so that if an odd thing happens, like someone trying to stand too close on the Tube, you will right away take notice, he said.

 

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