[originaltext] For 25 years, I was a full-time thief, specializing in pickin

For 25 years, I was a full-time thief, specializing in picking pockets. Where I come from in southeast London, that’s an honorable profession. Anyone can break into a house and steal things.  But picking somebody’s pocket takes skill. My sister and I were among the most successful pickpocket teams in London.  We worked hotel and theatre lobbies, airports, shopping centers and restaurants. Now we don’t steal anymore, but this crime is world-wide. Here is how to protect yourself:
    Professional pickpockets do not see victims, only handbags, jewels and money. Mothers with babies, the elderly, the disabled are all fair game.  My preferred target was the lone female, handbag at her side, the right side to be exact. So if I’m next to her I(an reach it cautiously with my right hand across my body. Only about one woman in a thousand carries her bag on the left, and I tended to steer clear of them.  Women whose bags are hanging in front of them are tricky for the pickpocket, as there isn’t a blind side. If you want to make it even harder, use a bag with handles rather than a strap. For men, one of the best places to keep a wallet is in the back pocket of tight trousers.  You’ll feel any attempts to move it. Another good place is in the buttoned-up inside pocket of a jacket. There’s just no way in. Even better, keep wallets attached to a cord or chain that is fasten to a belt.
    A pickpocket needs targets who are relaxed and off guard.  The perfect setting is clothing store.  When customs wander among the racks, they are completely absorbed in the items they hold up.  The presence of a uniformed security guard is even better.  A false sense of security makes a pickpocket’s job much simpler.