How safe are your belongings?

I was out walking the dog one evening and we ran into another dog owner. I discovered that there are two types of dog owners; ones that like to chit-chat and those that almost choke their dogs to death trying to pull the dog past you so they do not have to make small talk. This girl (Chatty Cathy) was defiantly the chit-chat type (this type varies from the mild – they will talk about the weather and your pets to the extreme – they will tell you their health problems, building gossip or anything thing that happens to be on their mind) and that day what happened to be on Chatty Cathy’s mind was her recent pickpocketing incident.

Earlier in the week Chatty Cathy was on the subway and someone took her wallet right out of her oversized bag. However this five-fingered thief was caught on video because her wallet was a giant multi-colored eyesore that stood out on camera. They police arrest the culprit and gave Chatty Cathy praises for having such a hideous wallet.  She also went on to tell me that the Toronto transit system is rampant with pickpockets and that police have tried to catch them for a long while.

This got me to thinking; I never considered being pickpocketed in my backyard. I get on the crowded subways with my oversize gym bag and my wallet is in the front pocket, easy to take if I am not paying attention. Yet it was never a thought until I ran into Chatty Cathy.

When traveling, there are warnings everywhere telling you to protect your belongings.  In Italy our hotel manager told us to walk with our purse in front of us when in the crowded tourist areas …Shouldn’t that rule also apply in our hometowns. Pickpocketing is a crime of opportunity so why should we give anyone the opportunity to take our stuff.

Ladies we can learn from Chatty Cathy, she is a reminder that we should always secure our belongings. I don’t think we need to buy ugly wallets, just make sure they are inside your bag and zipped up.

What safety precautions do you take when out and about?