[im3w1l]

Is pickpocketing still a thing? My perception is that between wallets full of plastic and phones that can be remotely locked, it has almost completely disappeared. I remember being told to be wary in crowded places as a kid, but nowadays I'm very careless and nothing happens.

Bike thefts though, they are a serious issue that I plan my life around.

[GekkePrutser]

Lol you have never been to Barcelona I gather. Pickpocketing is a huge business here. I say business because Spanish law doesn't allow to prosecute them (only fines for thefts up to €400) so lots of scumbags basically make it their job.

When my wallet was pickpocketed I searched the bins in the nearby metro stations and found 6 wallets with ID cards etc and many phone cases (a stolen phone is much less identifiable without its case). Sadly I never found mine. I live here so I'm used to it but even then they can catch you off-guard.

[caturopath]

Note that crime in the US overall has gone wayyyy down since you were likely a kid. We're at Leave It To Beaver levels.

[croes]

Overall yes, single states no. https://www.safehome.org/resources/crime-statistics-by-state...

[reaperducer]

You should try to find something more .gov to link to for statistics, rather than a PR company that flogs home security systems and devices.

[PhantomGremlin]

How about this, from the Portland, Oregon police dept .gov domain: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/81203

   January 2019,  32 shootings
   January 2020,  50 shootings
   January 2021, 104 shootings

Lots of restless gang-bangers in Portland.

It doesn't help that Portland de-funded the gang enforcement team a while ago. It also doesn't help that some are agitating to abolish the police entirely.

Now Portland is making a big deal of getting FBI and state help to deal with this growing problem.

Yes, it's an anecdote, but you can find many similar anecdotes from all around the country.

[spiritplumber]

And yet a lot of people think that it's gone up because of skewed reporting.

[croes]

Depends on the state where you live. If you live in New Mexico it doesn't matter if the crime rate in Mew York goes down. https://www.safehome.org/resources/crime-statistics-by-state...

[jen20]

In 2019, I had my phone and wallet stolen in Barcelona via pickpocketing. I know of someone who had their wallet stolen in the Madrid subway the same way. I’ve not heard of it recently in the US though.

[caturopath]

The wallets full of plastic remark doesn't really apply in Spain, where tons more people carry real amounts of cash.

[benjohnson]

If your of an older demographic, that may potentially have a wad of cash, pickpocketing is still very much a problem. Especially in tourist spots.

[walshemj]

Oddly the Vatican has a high crime rate because of this