Crime And The Traveller

It might not have happened to you but crime stalks the business traveller from airports to hotels. worse, being in alien territory, the victim finds himself completely at sea. febusiness traveller finds out what you can do to make your journey safe and secure

Pun intended:

A study was made recently to determine the average crime rate at international airports around the world. It made use of an ordinary looking man standing in the airport terminal and reading a newspaper. He had an empty briefcase next to him, which he would ignore. Observers then recorded how long it took for the briefcase to be snatched. In Brussels the case was stolen within 4 minutes and 20 seconds. In Washington DC it was stolen within 3 minutes and 16 seconds. At Heathrow the briefcase was snatched in less than 2 minutes. In New York, the case was stolen within 1 minute and 5 seconds. In LA it took only 43 seconds before the case was snatched. The experiment was going to be held at Johannesburg International Airport in South Africa, but the people conducting the study were hijacked on the way there.

Obviously, the pun here is on Johannesburg, but the joke is also a reckoner about petty crimes in airports all over the globe. And, business travellers, being the fraternity which is most often on the move, are the specific victims of most airport and hotel crimes.

Consider the case of Anand Kher, deputy general manager - finance of a multinational corporation, who was returning to Mumbai after a business trip to Europe. On noticing that the driver was not there to receive him, he left his baggage and walked towards the car park to see if his car was there. When he turned, his luggage was gone. In the case of Manisha Khanna, a software consultant, she was waiting outside Milan airport when a woman threw chocolate sauce on her and snatched the briefcase which contained documents, cash and credit card.

Bizarre as it might seem, chocolate also had a part to play in Mala Rastogi's misadventure. Returning from New York to Mumbai, she had deposited her valuables in the check-in baggage on the suggestion of an airport official. When she touched down at Mumbai airport, all the goods had been pilfered and replaced with foreign chocolates.

Rohan Mehta was at the check-in counter of an airport when a well-dressed fellow passenger accosted him and struck up a conversation. In the aeroplane, Mehta found that his palm-top and gold cigarette case was missing. Later, the airport's CCTV showed that the fellow passenger had robbed him.

Not even the rich and the famous are spared. A couple of years ago, the very-beautiful Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz walked away from the security cameras at Los Angeles airport minus passport and US$ 7,000 in her purse. CCTV replays showed the security guard operating the X-ray machine quietly helping himself to Diaz's purse.

These are all real life cases, though some of the names have been changed at the request of the victims. The bottomline is clear: travel is fraught with crime and safety while travelling should be top-of-mind for any traveller.

"With more Indians travelling within India and internationally than ever before, and many of them for the first time, it's likely that more non-seasoned travellers will become seasoned victims of petty crime. The holiday season is the favourite time for pickpockets, purse-snatchers, hotel burglars and other petty thieves who thrive on unsuspecting and unprepared tourists. Most of the petty crime involving travellers is preventable. But it takes planning before the trip and then following precautions during the trip. International trips require a few more precautions because travellers are unfamiliar with language, surroundings and customs. It's easy to get lost, or at least distracted, as you're trying to find your way. Unfortunately, this behaviour attracts the attention of pickpockets and other criminals," says Rajan Bhat, Vice President, Global Travellers Cheques & Prepaid Service, India & Area Countries, American Express.

Precaution, as we know, is…

The planning to make your trip crime-free must include two factors - how to stay safe on the trip and what to do if the traveller still falls prey to criminals.

One basic tenet for the traveller is to minimise risks by carrying only a small amount of cash. "Cash is muggable money. Just as a poorly lit ATM at night may not be safe in India, it is even riskier in a foreign land. Most often, the petty crimes are not random; victims are targeted by experienced, organised, career criminals because of their dress, actions or inattentiveness. Criminals congregate where travellers congregate, so tourist attractions in major foreign cities are prime spots for petty theft," says Rajan. The safety planning must start before the departure. To be on the safe side, leave copies of passport, travel documents and travellers cheques’ serial numbers at home with someone you trust and take only as much jewellery as you may need. The rule is that take only those things which are essential for the trip. Like, a driver's license with photo for identification; a card which has medical information about you in case you get mugged on a street; travellers' cheques in several denominations. Also, consider obtaining a modest amount of foreign currency before you leave your home country. Criminals often watch for and target international travellers purchasing large amounts of foreign currency at airport banks and currency exchange windows.

At The Airport

On April 5, 2004, the Central Industrial Security Force arrested Prakash Rao Naidu at the Mumbai international airport. Naidu was a graduate, fluent in four regional languages plus English. He was also an expert bag lifter. He would enter the airport's passenger zone with a specific airline's open ticket. Posing as a passenger, he would befriend someone through casual conversation and when he felt the time was right, would dash off with the bag of the co-passenger. Airports are happy hunting grounds for criminals like Naidu and it pays be to be vigilant there. Says Anil Kumar, senior commandant, CISF Airport Security Unit, Mumbai, "Business travellers however seasoned are susceptible to such incidences. Bag lifters often operate in groups of two to three. It is the business traveller who needs to be alert and responsible while on travel. He should avoid casual conversation with strangers as sometimes these thieves disguise themselves as passengers and flick things with ease."

Precautions to be taken at the airport include:

• Never leave luggage unattended,
• Be wary of impostors - they may even be disguised as porters
• Be careful about trusting strangers who try to befriend you.
• Don't share a taxi with anyone you don't know.

At Your Hotel

According to Minoo Sarkari, director of loss prevention, J W Marriott Hotel, Mumbai, some of the dangers business travellers face in hotels are being befriended by strangers who then rob or con them; baglifting and being robbed at the time of check in or check out when their attention is diverted elsewhere. "The advice we can give to travellers is to avoid strangers and be vigilant. Most of the criminals who target hotels are very well-dressed and appear sophisticated."

• Don't be afraid to ask for another room if you feel you may have been put in one that is unsafe. If you become a victim of burglary, immediately report the incident to the hotel and the local police. Don't forget to get a receipt when you deposit your belongings.
• Keep all valuables and documents like money, jewellery, passport and airline tickets in the hotel's main safe deposit box. Store only items of moderate value in a room safe.
• Avoid displaying the sign requesting room cleaning service; it identifies the room as unoccupied.
• Don't let strangers overhear your sightseeing plans or other schedules. Don't reveal your room number or travel plans in a crowded area where you could be overheard.
• While choosing the hotel room, the safest location is one facing inward toward other rooms or towards the lobby, near a fire exit, away from stairwells, elevators, ice machines, vending machines, basements, or garbage refuse rooms. If you will be away from the room for some time, close the curtains completely. Hang the 'do not disturb' sign on the outside door when you exit. Leave the light on if you expect to be back after dark.
• When shown to your room, ask the staff accompanying you how to use the safety features, locks and exits. Check door and window locks, in-room safe locks, doors connecting to adjacent guest rooms and sliding glass door locks to make sure they work. Door security locks must be sturdy and key systems must be reliable. If safety features or locks don't work, report to the front desk at once. If it looks like someone may have been in the room, leave immediately and ask to be moved to another room.
• If you lose your key or it gets stolen, report immediately and move to a different room.

When you fall victim

Lastly, one hopes not, but if ever you do get robbed, then there must be adequate planning about it. The first rule is, if the robber is armed, do not try to resist him because what you are carrying isn't worth your life. If you have been robbed in a hotel, get the hotel manager's help in contacting the police and then make sure you get a copy of the police report for verification with insurance company. If credit card or traveller's cheques have been pilfered, contact the company immediately for replacement. "In the case of American Express Card and Travellers Cheques, replacement can be made usually by the end of the next day," says Rajan. Keep copies of passports and airline tickets handy, to obtain replacements if required. But, above all, this the underlying principle of security when travelling to a foreign area - don't look or act like a 'ready' victim and thieves are likely to move on to someone else.

(With inputs from Rajan C Bhat and Reema Sisodia)