Comments on: How to…Deal With Crime in the UK as a Foreigner http://canadiansintheuk.com/2010/03/11/how-to-deal-with-crime-in-the-uk-as-a-foreigner/ Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:07:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Colleen http://canadiansintheuk.com/2010/03/11/how-to-deal-with-crime-in-the-uk-as-a-foreigner/#comment-476 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:35:02 +0000 http://canadiansintheuk.wordpress.com/?p=943#comment-476 Ugh, I can attest to the necessity of keeping that purse close…4 months after moving to London, I was the victim of purse-theft scenario #2 above–it was literally stolen from beneath my feet when I had it resting between the bar and the stool. I even did periodic checks, but that’s not enough when these thiefs use diversion techniques while working in pairs. The pub’s CCTV revealed that while a man distracted my attention by asking me if I’d dropped something, a female accomplice yanked the purse.

Worst part about it: my passport was still inside it from a recent visit home, so my aftermath entailed visits to the U.S. Embassy and UK Home Office and a lot of £££ to replace both my passport and visa. I still twitch just thinking about it…

A practical and stylish prevention strategy is purchasing a foldable purse hook so you can hang your purse from your table–my friend gave me one of these, and it’s priceless:

http://www.purseangels.co.uk/

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