Nab / Shy Oa na RAR gE SNEED ihe tad Pe TAN ANC LAS eRe SN ARORA LILO PYRG EEN LARLY RUA HTD ES APTA DIDI AG RN GT lA EAI GOTT be FLITE PG LAGARDE HINER TOR

alighting, my friend's wife noticed
her bag was open and the wallet
gone, We reported the theft to the
ticket office, where the woman
attendant said our description of
the girl in the hat sounded distress-
ingly familiar,

Then Florence. mobbed with
tourists in May, many of them
tired, loaded down with cameras

and wallets, and-all of them totally”

distracted by monuments and
shops. - ‘

Outside the famous Uffizi
Gallery a policeman is shouting at
a group of children and, youths,

travel

HONG KONG 5. Paris ..:
Florence ... three of the most® °
otic destinations in the -
world, magnets for travellers
who throng their streets,
markets and monument: Se

Unfortunately, and increasingly.
these duys; they are being preyed.
on by thieves. I know, because in |
the last few, -months. | have personal

that they are thieves,

That very day he has’ found:
them in po ssion of numerous
-wallets but can’t arrest them’
because the stolen goods are ;

*always’carried by children too
young to be charged. with criminal
offences: :

«Our group watches ; the chil-
dren and youths move barely 50)
yards und immediately target a
 tired-looking tourist with a waist
pouch. ‘Their technique is to bold
up _a Map or a newspaper, obscure»
ing the waist pouch, and ask a.

“question; at the same Uime others :
will unzip the pouch and rob it.

The ‘nerve of these young .
“thieves was unbelievable. Not only”
“are they light-fingered and skilful:
._ they know how to beat the system

from her | purse in: m Hong K ong the a
day after. we arrived."

We were tired, from: jet lag and

ne as We rendezvous’ ed.

mobably Y pappened in a shop near: -’
by, and the! wallet, was missed a. :

“and yet away with poodness knows -

“how many robberies on tourists:
Numbers are impossible to.

come by, certainly not from tourist

-boards. Just the other day the” ©. °

» British Consumers’ Association

Teported that Poland was one af the,

’ ortvof thing karpons ‘nly
to other pete who, were probably
c ess: Yet U at very.
evening the wile of
officer, friend, herself a

ie ee Right away Pe ind’s s - fareigh
-o ministry said the report was Wrong
i s$i ised, Yeu the report *
See oS was based ona survey of 16,000.
ed a girl of 2 readers which showed that ¢ one in
‘she had a
wiking hat. One: oF two stops Jat
here’ was'a mild commotion | “Travel “has, salwitvs c come with
by 1 sks Hyen taking 4 ferry to: |

‘Victoria: removes people rome their

Tues: June 27th at 7: Sop. mri.
:Wed.;, June 28th at 7:30’p. m.
» Thurs., June 2ath at 7: 30 Pn m.

Avalon. ‘Hotel? N. Van*
Holiday. inn; Vancouver

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telling them to clear off, Our guide
tulks to the policeman and tells us:

"WHEN. IN Florence e keep
your wallet. “6
lo unscrupulous, people. fe
* AIL Bean say is that there”. yy

appears to be more crime out there,

So go prepared with the best under
clothing pouches, try lo stay vigi-.
lant and watch oul for groups of:

young peopic who are not tourists

ind may nat look dike locals,

ae ee

Photo David Wishart: 7
16: eye on ‘the sights and, one.on:

places and people who TPanake |

your heart soar, like thy couple in,
Pisa recently who helped me get a’
handle on the Halian telephone: sys-

“tem. They couldn't speak: Eng

had no Ralian. tdidn't even have: -
the right ey but het Bol, te

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