![]() ![]() Other areas in Paris where extra security precautions are warranted after dark are Les Halles and the Bois de Boulogne. Unsuspecting tourists have run up exorbitant bar bills and been forced to pay before being permitted to leave. Pigalle is an adult entertainment area known for prostitution, sex shows, and illegal drugs. The area around the Moulin Rouge, known as Pigalle, requires extra security precautions to avoid becoming a victim. There have been some instances of tourists being robbed and assaulted near less utilized metro stations. The crowded elevators at the Eiffel Tower, escalators at museums such as the Louvre, and the area surrounding Sacré Coeur Basilica in Montmartre are all favored by pickpockets and snatch-and-grab thieves. Popular tourist sites are also popular with thieves, who favor congested areas to mask their activities. Many thefts also occur at major department stores (e.g., Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, and Le Bon Marché), where tourists may leave wallets, passports, and credit cards on cashier counters during transactions. Thieves often time their pickpocket attempts to coincide with the closing of the automatic doors on the metro, leaving the victim secured on the departing train. Schemes in Paris include asking if you would sign a petition or take a survey, or presenting a ring and asking if you dropped it. A common method is for one thief to distract the tourist with questions or disturbances, while an accomplice picks pockets, a backpack, or a purse. In addition, passengers on metro Line 1, which traverses the city center from east to west and services many major tourist sites, are often targeted. Travelers may want to consider using a shuttle service or one of the express buses to central Paris rather than the RER. Pickpockets are very active on the rail link (RER B) from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the city center. In Paris, pickpockets are commonly children under the age of 16 because they are difficult to prosecute. In addition to purses and wallets, smartphones and small electronic devices are particular targets. Pickpockets are by far the most significant problem. There has been an increase in reported sexual harassment, and sometimes assault, by taxi drivers. Violent crime is relatively uncommon in the city center, but women should exercise extra caution when out alone at night and should consider traveling out at night with trusted companions. PARIS: Crime in Paris is similar to that in most large cities. ![]() Often thieves who manage to gain access to the apartment building will knock on apartment doors to see if anyone answers, offering the excuse they are taking a survey or representing a utility company. Home invasions are often preceded by phone calls to see if the resident is at home. The majority are attributed to residents not using security measures already in place, including double-locking doors and locking windows. There is generally an increase in the number of residential break-ins in August when most French residents take a vacation, as well as in December. Keep doors locked and valuables out of sight. Thieves will approach a vehicle that is stopped in traffic, smash a window, reach into the vehicle to grab a purse or other valuable item, and then flee. In general, Paris taxis are safe and professionally operated, but there has been an increase in reported harassment and assaults on women by taxi drivers.Ĭaution is required throughout France when driving through economically depressed areas where there is a high incidence of “smash and grab” robberies. As in any major city, women should exercise extra caution when out alone at night and/or consider traveling out at night with companions. Crimes against visitors are generally crimes of opportunity, though these crimes are more likely to involve violence on the street late at night or when the victim detects the theft and resists the criminal. Visitors to congested areas and known tourist sites (e.g., museums, monuments, train stations, airports, and subways) should be particularly attentive to their surroundings. ![]() However, as in any big city, robberies involving physical assault do occur in Paris and other major urban areas. citizens, involve pick-pocketing, residential break-ins, bicycle theft, and other forms of theft with minimal violence. The majority of crimes directed against foreign visitors, including U.S. Most crimes are non-violent, but pick-pocketing is a significant problem.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |