European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 21, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pogo 8 the stars and stripes saturday. May 21, 1977 italian grab tourist when in Rome guard that purse Mink coated in Milan beware fhe omelette1 by Dennis Redmont Rome api creative and some times deadly thievery is taking an in creasing toil on romans their foreign friends and their italian countrymen Lurse snatchers car thieves and Confidence men performed 2.7 million thefts last year in Italy according to figures re leased by the government. A new spurt is reported at the Start of the tourist season. Italian thieves have an unbridled imag  says col Gianni orcs a. Whose crab Imri National police i arc Only Able to Trace about 80 per cent of the thieves. Their school is the Street and they use any trick in the  Many a roman Holiday has been turned into a Nightmare or the tourist whose Billfold was lifted whose car was broken into or whose hotel room was rifled through the province of Home with h h per rent of Italy s population accounts for Over 15 per Cal of Italy s crimes. A swedish tourist died la1- year alter she Hung onto her hag which two youths were trying to seize a Ila Duncan former Wile of War photographer David Douglas Duncan was beaten Anil push a to the ground last month by three outs. Who broke her Lel t forearm and hip Alda Tali to. The editor of the italian Maga my play Man was Robt d a her Lur coat at Knicl Jolt. And thieves have several tunes tried to break into the Home of actress Claudia card Malc other victims of thefts in the past Lew years include  actors Vincent Price whose bag was stolen and David Cassidy. Whose panel truck was picked clean while irked in a Home Street two years ago. During in Ollie  Visil to Naples hold thieves punched an Iron bar through the window of the Flag carrying roll.-, Hoyce of British ambassador Ouy Millard and Grahle a his wife s purse from the Seal the  consulate in Home reports Over 1iki a s passports along with purses and fall cts were snatched Arnm july i j76 to match i this year an average of nearly own pit Day Hall of the Xic Liim were Over the Apul u. And he majority were women at in Kik til the summer season in Hume. Or in americans Are robbed it week a on log  the average tourist docs what he would t be caught doing at  says a consular  lie walks around with a lot n Money and All  in Lonngs " the embassy has pm till up Pecau urns against further Hells Lor release to victims who land on the consulate s door Slep. And three pages of instructions on what to in Lirosi alter Insi or stolen prop erty. Oman with handbags should keep some distance from the curb carrying the lug in the hand farthest from the Street to prevent it from being snatched by thieves on a motorcycle or a  the instructions say. Never stand close to a curb while waiting to Cross a Street " italian authorities have tried to strike kick but so far without too much Success pie Interior ministry has announced plans to hire several thousand More police men and has increased police wages to Boos morale the government is also con a Lenng legislation to restore some Powers Conli seated in recent i nil minded Laws who Rel step c police complain this slav. And Ham ices ire to nations Otic ers also of Only in i Cie judges for hat to regard i yes in i Vantuil pm i i .ii,.l v de i. In deter  times re a  mixer in at the Natheer Uii at rc-1 them and  confidently to  i ii u out of ii s 111 a Mamur of a i in Home police created a shark squad of about i my who in Sas heat Niks. Monks or plumbers and cruise in Public places to try and forestall purse snatchers and pickpockets it has foiled about 35 purse snatches in Progress each month but the yearly figure for recorded purse snatches in 1976 is 3.470. Or nearly 10 a Day. One of our problems is that we cannot pose As prospective victims or As prostitutes As some policemen do in the United  says Rome s Deputy police chief. Vinconzo Rugato. Who supervises the squad under italian Law. We could be convicted and sentenced As agents provocateurs while the aggressor would be freed because we would be inciting  the shark squad scored a major Success a few Days ago with the arrest of Luciano velvet hands Esparza. A chilean pick pocket who specialized in thefts aboard buses As he was about to lift  in trav Elers checks from an american woman Esparza had been arrested before but. Be cause of a court order for him to remain in Italy while awaiting trial he had not been  to sociologist Simonetta Bisi. Students account for 116 per cent of Rome s criminals followed by trained workers 11.2 per Cen i and jobless per sons. Italian police say that purse snatching should be nipped in the Bud to forestall larger crimes fir 8rent/ma.rmataext Paris. Vat Orbe. Verona Villa Opi Cina aurb be Gradin stambu1 end of an Era frenchwoman Odette Desca and englishman in Reck Barber right share u Champagne Toast Courtesy of rail Road employee Raymond Dinh lefts the Orient express pulls out of Paris on  last trip. A photo Orient express steams to the lost Roundhouse Paris a. The Orient express. A remnant of the i a of in our on the rails. Moved  Ross Europe inward Istanbul and tin last top if  us year Hie a Small crowd of huffs a Ltd Cham Agnela is in Farewell  As the Irani teamed us i la Are de i., on a \ l Iii a m 17 mint let la of i .i.-.t direct Nin ii Franco tit Turke i is due 1 1 1- a Antill . It Erri in a French Abb. Cade Lac Vieu. Pla de a in go on his aim ii is instead of the Long string of opulent velvet lined cars the Rich and Beautiful filled Between the two world wars there was a single sleeping car and three Day coaches the sleeping car was filled with report ers and television Crew meth is. The Day coaches with . Hulgas. Cir eks and turks going Home on the cheap. The luxurious dining cars thai  served gourmet  were eliminated Long ago the in countries served by the on int express d Fuji a   tar  i-n lie through St vice. Riidu try a i . Ott pack of Pam ii is on he Kast Kuri  Section Ullh run most Paris Istanbul pa.-, Singcas Iiona ii Itie Lii stance in free hours travellers will still be Able to make the Continental crossing by rail but will have to change trams in Venice and then wait Sev eral hours before they can make their connection Antonio Pagnozzi. Head of Milan s police save. A youth who embarks on a criminal career nowadays begins with a Scoppo or a purse snatch but ends with a Bank Holdup or even a Kidnap for Ransom which pays far More than thefts " at least 27 persons have been kidnapped in Italy this year. Italians have devised various ways to protect their purses their cars and their Homes youths keep banknotes in Small pouches Slung around their neck and inside their shirt. Older men carry leather purses strapped to their wrists and Many pack a pistol. Smart ladies carry Crocodile bags inside plastic grocery carriers. Trained German shepherds Are Selling in record numbers As Well As alarm sys tems for both Homes and cars which set sirens blaring As soon As the door is open. Despite the Protection thieves keep get Ting bolder and bolder. A Small catalogue of their most inventive recent exploits the Basic purse snatch Scipp Alore or bag snatcher attacks Are reported once every 4." minutes according to the latest figures released by Italy s Central Statis tics Institute most of the purse snatchers operate in pairs from motorcycles or scooters. The thief on the Back Seal takes a running grab of a woman s purse and roars off into the Man of streets in the Center of Rome or into Milan traffic. The Bermuda Triangle a More re fined ploy than the Basic purse snatch. Home police last month finally cracked the mystery of the disappearing scooters in the midst of an area they dubbed the Tri Angle of death in the popular old area of Trastevere scooters they pursued kept vanishing until they discovered the secret the Bel Forte Sisters would open their doors onto the Street and Scappatori rumbled straight into the Sisters living room. The Airport rats police at Rome s Kium Icino Airport have reinforced surveil Lance along conveyor belts taking Luggage to arriving passengers. Some tourists re ported recently that their bags had arrived safely but that cameras Cash and jewelry had somehow been pinched by what police Call roman Airport rats. The Omedel technique a tactic successfully developed in Milan on the Prin Ciple that you can make a theft by cracking an egg a youth smashes an egg on the head of a woman wearing a Mink coat. While she raises her hands to clean off the mess passing thieves sue the fur and throw it into a waiting car. A refinement to the fur snatch uses an other twist. A Well dressed gentleman pulls up in his luxurious car to a fur Wear ing Matron and exclaims How stupid of you. I told you not to walk around with your fur it could be  in a Flash the Man rips off the fur and shoves it in his car few witnesses offer help thinking the Lake husband is real. The spit and polish ploy a Young Man at Rome s Central station spits on the Bree Weld hand of a lady waiting for her ticket i p comes a distinguished gentle Man with his silk pocket handkerchief of Fering to wipe the soiled hand. In the process the Diamond ring vanishes. Sleep and e shall find during the Hist few Davs. Compartments of the rime Paris express were rifled by thieves armed with aerosol Gas cans and Chloro 1 Irani to induce sleep when businessman michel.ibrato woke up from a deep ii Imu a i ear Paris i baggage had been i.-,-.kvt  Aid  Gold wedding Rin Mossiii in in his linger. French and italian Hyce  distribute leaflets on the trn . Leading Hewan. Thieves Are trav i  " this is a recording a technique de Vel opt d in Naples a matronly woman enters a jewelry shop with a baby Carriage containing a crying child having asked to examine a jewel under Daylight the woman Steps out and never returns. Under the blankets of the Toby Carriage the jew Elers find a tape recorder