A growing number of tourists are resorting to physical defenses, with shocking scenes of hair-pulling and public shaming emerging in response to rampant pickpocketing.
Pickpocketing remains a persistent threat across major European tourist destinations. According to a 2024 report, Italy tops the European Pickpocketing Index, with an estimated 478 mentions of theft per million British visitors at major attractions such as the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon in Rome, Florence's Uffizi and Milan's Duomo.
