Panic in Rome as tourists attacked ‘100 times a day’ to warn Brits | World | News

Tourists are being targeted due to the increase in mugging and pickpocketing incidents in Rome, the capital of Italy. The level of street crime has doubled within a year, making tourists feel increasingly unsafe in the city.

Restaurant and bar owners said their customers were being bombarded by gangs of thieves and muggers and they feared crime would rise further as more people traveled to Rome for the Vatican Jubilee. city.

Claudio Pica is president of Fiepet Confesercenti, an association representing 3,500 cafes, restaurants and pizzerias.

He said: “We receive between 80 and 100 reports of mugging, theft and pickpocketing a day in bars and restaurants in the center of Rome.”

Neighborhoods like Monti and Trastevere are high on the target list as they are both popular tourist areas and restaurants and bars near the Colosseum and Roman Forum in the historic centre.

Theft is also a big problem on Rome’s public transport, leading to more police patrolling the metro lines.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi ordered dozens of police officers to carry out random checks on the Metro A line, which tourists often use to reach St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican Museums.

More than 175,000 people, including 70,000 foreigners, have been stopped by random checks and 676 people have been arrested since the beginning of 2024, city police said.

During the summer period when many tourists travel to Rome, police had to intervene in a fight between tourists and pickpockets and the central Barberini station had to close.

FCDO offers travel advice to Brits planning to go abroad. Regarding Italy, the website states: “Crime levels are generally low, but levels of petty crime, particularly bag snatching and pickpocketing, are higher in city centers and major tourist attractions.”

Additional information about public transportation was also provided. The statement said: “Be careful with public transport in crowded areas and in city centres, including main stations, especially in and around Rome’s Termini station.”