Crime in Paris is just the same as every large cities encounter, but violent crimes are uncommon, especially in the city proper where most tourist spots are loceted. Like everywhere, common sense applies and you should check your surroundings before showing off you expensive cameras and other belongings.
A common scene of Crime in Paris is when a thief distracts the tourist with few questions or any form of disturbance and suddenly their assistant do the pick pocketing. Mugs often have their perfect timing and do it as the doors in the metro and subway closes which puts the target in the leaving train. These people are also seen in shops such as Galeries, Lafayette and Printemps where a lot of tourists just leave their wallets, credit cards and personal belongings unattended.
Popular tourist destinations in Paris are also popular grounds hunting grounds for thieves who favor crowded areas to masks their dirty tricks. The congested elevators of Eiffel Tower, escalators at museums and the area surrounding the Sacre Coeur church in Montmartre are all preferred by pickpockets and snatch-and-run thieves. These are some places that you will not expect a Crime in Paris would happen.
The famous Moulin Rouge is known as Pigalle, an adult entertainment area known for prostitutes, sex shows and drugs. Unsuspecting travelers visiting squalid bars often run up exorbitant bar bills and are forced to pay before being allowed to leave the premises. A lesson to learn in visiting such places like this is that not to order drinks not unless you are aware of the prices first. You could pay much higher than you thought.
A place called Marche aux Puces flea market is practically designed to make pick pocketing a business that easy. They can easily find victims and have an easy way to attack them. Walkways are so thin, dim, with no other way out except that you wait for the sluggish walkers to move. This is a dangerous place where Crime in Paris happens very frequent.
The metro is somewhat safe, but again, pick pockets and snatchers could not resist whenever they see something really pleasing in their eyes, especially in tourist destinations. In carrying a bag, just make sure to seal it properly. Your wallets should be in pockets in tight condition and be sure to check it before and after entering trains stations. Make sure if your having your tour or vacation in Paris, try to be alert from those examples of Crime in Paris.
I have been to Paris last month, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but I find Paris peaceful. I had a one week vacation there by myself and fortunately for me, I wasn’t a victim of any crimes. As a matter of fact, considering that I am a woman, I never felt threatened or felt like my safety was in trouble while going around the city. Even at night, I don’t feel any hesitation to go around the city and discover the sights by myself. But I guess it just takes common sense to know that you shouldn’t be flaunting your riches when staying on the streets.
Although Paris is a relatively safe and quiet city compared to other neighboring cities, I still feel that as tourists we still have to be on our toes when going around the city. I think you will agree with me when I say that “pickpockets” are attracted to tourists. We are like a walking treasure chest to them. So we should always be one step ahead of them. Common sense of course will tell you that you shouldn’t be showing off your money when in crowded places. And one trick that I find useful is to never act like a tourist, even if you are one. Pickpockets like to take advantage of those tourists who seem confused about where to go or what to do. So it’s a good idea to always act as if you know your way around even if you really don’t!
These crimes may not happen all the time. Police organizations have already observed this scenes and did something to minimize these minor crimes. It may happen sometimes to those unlucky tourists and before you know it, you will regret of being so relax and inattentive. These crimes happens because those people take advantage of those unaware guests and visitors of the city. Especially during summer and Christmas Holidays where places tend to be crowded, specifically the famous tourist spots.
You can always call 17 in case of emergency. The principal Prefecture, also known as the police station, is located at the 9 bd. du Palais. To be safe all the time in terms of carrying money, use your credit card. They give you a convenient record of all you spent and also offers friendly exchange rate. Mostly, using credit card abroad assess a 2% fee above the 1% fee charged by Visa or Mastercard.