What's your bad experience of being pick pocketed?

I can recall three instances and on each occasion it was upsetting and inconvenient. The first time was in Africa when I was trying to buy some vegetables in the market and had to go home without, not having any money. The second time was in London, when even more than the money in my wallet I regretted losing the name and address of someone I had promised to keep in touch with. The third time was in Florence. The proprietor of our pensione, after expressing sympathy, was businesslike enough to present the bill for the rest of our stay and ask us to settle it, just in case there was not enough cash left. The police, accustomed to such episodes, presented me with a standard form ending with the words: "I suspect no-one." When I protested that the thief was a Romanian gipsy woman in a tram whom I was able to describe, they were very fed up with me for giving extra trouble. But the person I felt angriest with was the husband of a colleague who had arranged the travel insurance. He had insured us for the first week of our stay only and this was the second week, therefore there was no chance of recovering the money. Moral of the story: (1) always check your insurance cover and don't assume that it has been properly arranged by a professional and (2) avoid dealing with people just because they're married to colleagues.

I have been very careful ever since. And yes -- I was angry on each occasion!

For me it was at Chantilly racecourse in France.

The horse I had backed had just won the French Derby very convincingly, and I was exultant.

I felt the hand in my pocket, but by the time I could turn around in the crowd around the unsaddling enclosure, they had gone.

Luckily they didn't get all my money, nor my credit cards or betting receipts, so I was able to continue my holiday.

But it ruined a wonderful moment for me.

On a bus in Manchester- They stole my bank card, and phone!

How annoyed was I? VERY!

I was on a train in Germany and someone behind me dipped into my bag.