Avoiding Theft in Europe

[Kangarucci]

Our first stay in Barcelona left us wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.
We were walking from the shopping mall back to our hotel when our eldest daughter, aged 15 walked around the corner out of our eyesight. When we walked around the corner and she was back in our eyesight, we saw that a car had stopped with the back door open with two men in the back and one in the front beckoning her over saying that they were the police. My husband screamed out to our daughter to stop and to get back away from the car and that they were not the police. The car then took off.
We were so shaken up and unsettled over this that we just wanted to get out of Barcelona as fast as we could. So not only guard your personal possessions but also be extremely vigilante on keeping your precious family safe.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Our first stay in Barcelona left us wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.
We were walking from the shopping mall back to our hotel when our eldest daughter, aged 15 walked around the corner out of our eyesight. When we walked around the corner and she was back in our eyesight, we saw that a car had stopped with the back door open with two men in the back and one in the front beckoning her over saying that they were the police. My husband screamed out to our daughter to stop and to get back away from the car and that they were not the police. The car then took off.
We were so shaken up and unsettled over this that we just wanted to get out of Barcelona as fast as we could. So not only guard your personal possessions but also be extremely vigilante on keeping your precious family safe.

Wow, that is very scary. Your daughter was older, but it reminds me a bit of Madeline McCann. Not the same city of course, but same part of the world.

 

[Shanti]

Our first stay in Barcelona left us wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.
We were walking from the shopping mall back to our hotel when our eldest daughter, aged 15 walked around the corner out of our eyesight. When we walked around the corner and she was back in our eyesight, we saw that a car had stopped with the back door open with two men in the back and one in the front beckoning her over saying that they were the police. My husband screamed out to our daughter to stop and to get back away from the car and that they were not the police. The car then took off.
We were so shaken up and unsettled over this that we just wanted to get out of Barcelona as fast as we could. So not only guard your personal possessions but also be extremely vigilante on keeping your precious family safe.

That's horrible. Thank God you were there to prevent a tragedy from occurring.

 

[Dug720]

I can’t help but ask! What was the name of the restaurant and would you recommend for someone with Celiac Disease? Taking a Disney Med Cruise next summer and trying to plan for my daughter!

Voglia di Pizza! And YES!!!! There was a family next to my table on the cruise and their daughter is Celiac and they found it and ate there 2 or 3 times.

 

[cruiser21]

Wow, that is very scary. Your daughter was older, but it reminds me a bit of Madeline McCann. Not the same city of course, but same part of the world.

The first thing that popped into my mind was the movie Taken.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Our first stay in Barcelona left us wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.
We were walking from the shopping mall back to our hotel when our eldest daughter, aged 15 walked around the corner out of our eyesight. When we walked around the corner and she was back in our eyesight, we saw that a car had stopped with the back door open with two men in the back and one in the front beckoning her over saying that they were the police. My husband screamed out to our daughter to stop and to get back away from the car and that they were not the police. The car then took off.
We were so shaken up and unsettled over this that we just wanted to get out of Barcelona as fast as we could. So not only guard your personal possessions but also be extremely vigilante on keeping your precious family safe.

Omg no. I am shaken to my core after reading this as our daughters are 18 and 14. My heart is on the ground. I am SO sorry you had this scare. Thank YOU for posting to alert all of us.

 

[Shanti]

Our first stay in Barcelona left us wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.
We were walking from the shopping mall back to our hotel when our eldest daughter, aged 15 walked around the corner out of our eyesight. When we walked around the corner and she was back in our eyesight, we saw that a car had stopped with the back door open with two men in the back and one in the front beckoning her over saying that they were the police. My husband screamed out to our daughter to stop and to get back away from the car and that they were not the police. The car then took off.
We were so shaken up and unsettled over this that we just wanted to get out of Barcelona as fast as we could. So not only guard your personal possessions but also be extremely vigilante on keeping your precious family safe.

I hope you reported the attempted abduction to the Barcelona police. It would make total sense if you'd all been too shaken up to even do that, but I hope you managed to, regardless, as they need to know if something like that happens. I hope they would actually take that kind of crime seriously and act on it.

 

[pjacobi]

Note that any bag is not secure when thrown over a spare table or chair or dangling behind your chair. "Safe" bags are only secure when used properly.


-Paul

 

[cruiser21]

Every time I saw a Barcelona police officer he was on his cell phone texting or smoking a cig talking to his friends. I don't even think they carry guns. They don't seem to care about theft so I'm not sure how much they care about anything else.

 

[Kate_45]

Quite a big difference between pickpocketing and attempted abduction though. And I'm really not sure what carrying guns has to do with anything.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Quite a big difference between pickpocketing and attempted abduction though. And I'm really not sure what carrying guns has to do with anything.

Guns are essential for law enforcement. All laws are enforced through the threat or actual use of force. Most people comply with the law because they know it is the right thing to do. But some people comply because they know there is a threat of force if they do not. If there is no ultimate threat of force on hand, the most brazen law breakers will not take law enforcement seriously. It makes sense that the police would hang out and smoke instead of taking crime seriously. If they really have no guns, they are ultimately powerless to stop criminals who have no respect for the law and are probably armed and high to boot.

 

[Kate_45]

Guns are essential for law enforcement. All laws are enforced through the threat or actual use of force. Most people comply with the law because they know it is the right thing to do. But some people comply because they know there is a threat of force if they do not. If there is no ultimate threat of force on hand, the most brazen law breakers will not take law enforcement seriously. It makes sense that the police would hang out and smoke instead of taking crime seriously. If they really have no guns, they are ultimately powerless to stop criminals who have no respect for the law and are probably armed and high to boot.

In my country the police manage to stop criminals without carrying guns.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

In my country the police manage to stop criminals without carrying guns.

If that is true, and I am not entirely accepting your premise, it may be because your country is more monolithic and consists of similarly minded people who are in the group that generally follow the law because it is the right thing to do. But if your country were to import people with different values, your defenceless police may become overwhelmed.

 

[cruiser21]

If that is true, and I am not entirely accepting your premise, it may be because your country is more monolithic and consists of similarly minded people who are in the group that generally follow the law because it is the right thing to do. But if your country were to import people with different values, your defenceless police may become overwhelmed.

I thought she lived in London?

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I thought she lived in London?

Well, if she lives in London, she might want to look at the crime stats, because London has incredibly high crime rates, the highest in the world by some analyses.

www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-england-london-43610936

Barcelona is a vibrant, exciting port city. I grew up in just such a city, and there was a lot of crime because there are so many people coming and going and it is easy for "pirates," or people who take advantage whenever they can, to hide and operate. Would anyone want to go to NYC if the police didn't have guns? I doubt it.

 

[dvcdisney]

Our first stay in Barcelona left us wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.
We were walking from the shopping mall back to our hotel when our eldest daughter, aged 15 walked around the corner out of our eyesight. When we walked around the corner and she was back in our eyesight, we saw that a car had stopped with the back door open with two men in the back and one in the front beckoning her over saying that they were the police. My husband screamed out to our daughter to stop and to get back away from the car and that they were not the police. The car then took off.
We were so shaken up and unsettled over this that we just wanted to get out of Barcelona as fast as we could. So not only guard your personal possessions but also be extremely vigilante on keeping your precious family safe.

This is quite frightening.

 

[Kate_45]

Well, if she lives in London, she might want to look at the crime stats, because London has incredibly high crime rates, the highest in the world by some analyses.

www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-england-london-43610936

I really should be working, not rising to the bait, but hang on, you're using an article exclaiming that for two months murder rates exceeded New York as evidence that police should have guns? This was news because it was a novelty. London crime rates are generally lower than New York. Where the police carry guns. The article states "So far in 2018, the Met Police has investigated 46 murders, compared with 50 in the US city" so we still have lower crime rates using your source, even with the worrying murders this year. It's a good comparison as the cities are similar sized and similar demographics, but it definitely does not suggest that police carrying guns decrease crime. In fact it suggests the very opposite.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Guns are essential for law enforcement. All laws are enforced through the threat or actual use of force. Most people comply with the law because they know it is the right thing to do. But some people comply because they know there is a threat of force if they do not. If there is no ultimate threat of force on hand, the most brazen law breakers will not take law enforcement seriously. It makes sense that the police would hang out and smoke instead of taking crime seriously. If they really have no guns, they are ultimately powerless to stop criminals who have no respect for the law and are probably armed and high to boot.

In my country the police manage to stop criminals without carrying guns.

I live in Ireland and our Police Force do not carry guns. and we have a very low level of general public who own guns, gun owning is not part of constitution and we have very strict gun laws. In my country our klds are safe in school and will never have to deal with the type of mass shootings so common in USA!

Yes we have ghetto areas, yes we have drug problems, yes we have crime but our Police Force functions without guns, criminals are caught, crimes are solved, people go to jail.

In my country guns are NOT necessary for law enforcement

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I really should be working, not rising to the bait, but hang on, you're using an article exclaiming that for two months murder rates exceeded New York as evidence that police should have guns? This was news because it was a novelty. London crime rates are generally lower than New York. Where the police carry guns. The article states "So far in 2018, the Met Police has investigated 46 murders, compared with 50 in the US city" so we still have lower crime rates using your source, even with the worrying murders this year. It's a good comparison as the cities are similar sized and similar demographics, but it definitely does not suggest that police carrying guns decrease crime. In fact it suggests the very opposite.

I really have no skin in the game here. You seem passionate about this issue. My point is merely that the threat of force is necessary in order for a substantial amount of people to follow the law. In dealing with violent crime, police need to have all tools on hand.

My second point is that if you are pointing to London as an example where police operate effectively without guns, I definitely disagree. London has one of the highest crime rates in the world. That wasn't always the case, but it is today. I only pulled one article, but there are numerous articles on this.

As for NYC, I personally am very thankful for our armed police. Unlike London, which always has had a lot of theft but did not used to have as much violent crime, NYC has always been a raucous, wild place.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

I have gleaned a lot of valuable information from this thread on how to avoid theft while traveling. With this turning into "pro gun" vs. "anti-gun" with some disrespectful comments sprinkled in, I am fearful a moderator will step in and close this thread. I don't even know how to contact a moderator, but I would if I knew how...