28 > Sunday, May‘24, 1987 -.North Shore’ News

Travel

DANGER ‘EUROPE Travellers warned of theft on trains

iT IS likely that readers occasionally get annoyed at my

printing dire warnings about health and safety for travellers.

After all, everyone else seems to get along just fine, don’t

they?

Well, not ail of them. Period- ically, I write an article — mainly aimed at young travellers —- about safety on European trains. It’s a pity that one young local pair

iw

travel wise

by Barbera McCreadie i]

didn't happen to pick them up on one of the cardinal rules: Don’t fall asleep at night in ordinary compartments, Either travel only by day, and stay awake, or pur- chase a Wagons-Lits compariment where you have a bed and a lock on the door.

The two are 20. They spent the winter working in London and began their European vacation in the spring. They had met a group of other young people and teamed up, travelling by EurRail passes.

They had just crossed the border into Italy and were heading for Greece. We don’t know how many were in the group but it doesn’t matter — there’s no safety in numbers when all are asleep.

They were gassed and robbed.

How does this happen?

First, you must understand the lay-out of most European trains. Unlike ours, where the entire coach is filled with rows of seats, European trains are laid out in boxes. Each box is ae glassed-in compartment with six seats. The aisle runs along one side of the train and there are probably eight to 10 compartments to a coach.

It is impossible to see into one compartment from another — you must go out in the aisle to look at your fellow travellers.

Crooks wait until the dead of night and walk down the aisle. When they spot a likely-looking group of sleepers they open the door a crack and spray the travel- lers with an aerosol can of anaesthetic. In a few minutes the sleepers are really asleep and are thoroughly robbed. An experi-

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enced team of robbers can do a round of the whole coach before the first compartment starts to come around.

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Sleeping by day can be equally hazardous. Imagine a pair of trav- ellers, alone in one compartment, sound asleep with baggage and cameras in the imusual places. They are joined by another ‘‘trav- eller’? who has no intention of waking them up.

Razors are often used to slit pockets and clothing to remove wallets and concealed money pouches. Perhaps the traveller who stays asleep is the fortunate one — I don’t think I’d care to confront some guy with a razor in one hand and my wallet in the other.

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Now, while I’m on the subject of safety, let’s talk about handbag snatching. In some countries this has been refined into an art.

The snatchers will enjoy finding handbag-toting tourists in dark alleys but busy streets are no deterrent. One of the most creative ploys includes two riders on one motor scooter.

In the heavy traffic of most European cities, scooters dart everywhere — even on sidewalks when police aren’t looking.

The driver aims the scooter at the back of the ‘“tmark’’. As he

guns the engine and drives past, the passenger snatches the bag and the team vanishes into the traffic before the startled mark realizes what has happened.

I asked an Italian police officer how best to thwart this kind of theft. He explained that you should never carry your bag over your arm or loosely over your shoulder. Either shorten the strap and carry it tightly under your arm or let it dangle until it almost touches the pavement. He explain-

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