How to Pickpocket Proof Your Purse or Shoulder Bag

Try to pickpocket proof your purse or shoulder bag if you don’t want to purchase a pickpocket-proof purse or shoulder bag. You may want to modify your own purse or handbag to make it pickpocket-proof if you absolutely love the style and/or don’t want to spend money on a new travel bag. While it may not look as sleek as those anti-theft purses and shoulder bags that were designed specifically to stop pickpockets, this simple modification should do the trick.

The two items shown here may be found at your local hardware store. It’s a DIY hack that may take some thinking on how to best lock your entire bag zipper or just a pocket inside your bag as not all bags have the same design or features to work with.

Locking Your Zipper Pull to Your Bag Helps Keep Thieves Out

Ideally, your purse should always be in your hand, over your arm, over your shoulder, or across your body at all times. Across your body with your bag resting in front of you and not on your rear hip is the safest way to carry it. But even carried in this manner your bag could be targeted by a pickpocket who can slip a hand into your purse and remove your wallet without you noticing it. Try this hack using a swivel clip and split ring you can buy at a home improvement store to keep their hands out. This hack works for purses with zipper pulls and in particular, zipper pulls that have a hole in them.

Follow these steps.

Buy Split Ring and Swivel Clip – You may need one or two split rings depending on the design of your bag and zipper pull. Split rings are like those in key rings, and one swivel snap bolt or swivel clip is all you need.
Feed swivel end of a snap bolt into a split ring. Inside your purse, choose a compartment that closes with a zipper where you will keep your wallet and other valuables. Feed the slip ring through the hole in the zipper tab. Note the zipper pull must have a hole in it for this hack to work.
Strap Attachment Ring When the zipper is closed, snap the bolt onto the ring that attaches the strap to your purse. If too short to reach, feed the second split ring onto the ring that attaches the strap, and snap the bolt onto that. If the strap does not attach with a ring but is sewn to the purse, buy a large size split ring and feed the entire strap into the ring. Either snap the bolt onto this large ring or feed another small split ring onto the larger ring and snap the bolt onto that.

Travel Bags with Built-in Anti Theft Features

We think the best anti-theft travel bags are shoulder bags you wear crossbody style in front of you. Features to look for in this type of bag are an adjustable strap for comfort and a way to lock the main compartment to keep out thieving hands.

Secondary features are RFID blocking pockets, slash-proof material, and a strap that you can detach from the bag one end so that you can loop the strap to a stationary item like a chair back and then back onto the bag so it becomes snatch proof.

Pacsafe Metrosafe LS250 Anti-Theft Bag Pickpocket Proof Your Purse or Shoulder Bag

Pacsafe Metrosafe LS250 Anti-Theft Unisex Travel Bag

Travelon Crossbody anti theft travel purse, Pickpocket Proof Your Purse or Shoulder Bag

Travelon Crossbody Anti Theft Travel Purse- More Colors

While London tops many traveler’s lists as one of their must-see cities to visit in Europe, certain London’s subway lines are tops with pickpockets. The busier the station or line is with travelers the busier it is with pickpockets. Make sure you are safe from pickpockets while using the London Underground or Tube so you don’t waste precious vacation time in a police station making a crime report, obtaining new ID or passport, or getting new credit cards lost to the thieves.

Watch Out for Pickpockets on Certain London Subway Lines

Watch Out for Pickpockets on London Subway Lines

In a recent report released by the British Transport Police, several specific underground Tube lines were identified as the top pickpocket victimization locations where passengers are being targeted by pickpocket gangs. Obviously, the Tube’s busiest lines and stations are the ones most likely to have higher incidents of theft by pickpockets than quieter lines.

The report also shows the subway stations where London subway pickpockets are most active and unsurprisingly they are the tourist hot-spots. Of interesting note, the report also lists the sex of the victims and pointed out that if you’re a woman you are more likely to fall victim to subway pickpocket, as 1247 females were pick-pocketed last year compared to 1116 men. The London subway pickpocket figures were obtained by IBTimes UK from Freedom of Information requests revealed British Transport Police recorded 15,635 offenses across the Underground as well as Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Overground services.

Travelers using London’s Central Line to get around central London are more likely to fall prey to thieves than on any other route on the London Underground.

The Solution – Stop Pickpockets Before They Ruin Your Trip!

Use anti-theft wallets, bags and other clever gear to thwart pickpockets. It should be pointed out that overall, the crime rate on the London Underground has fallen in recent years – down from 17,828 in 2012 and 19,223 in 2013 – to 15,635 in 2014, however, the locations which were outlined in the report are ones that all travelers should be aware of when visiting London and traveling on the subway. For a detailed report on London Tube pickpockets, read this report.

London, England, is known for pickpockets working the crowds for as long as they have had their underground tube.

Since a majority of pickpocketing occurs in their subway system, the British Transport Police has put together a series of short videos that alert travelers to the most common types of thefts that you would fall victim to in the UK.

These videos are very well done and should be viewed by anyone who is going anywhere pickpockets are known to show their trade. Here is the pickpocket video link that has additional information.