Pickpockets at Quarteria weekly market

Editor, Today, 9/6, I had my cash stolen from my pocket at the Quarteria produce weekly market, When we first moved here in 2018 I had money lifted from my pocket at the same market. At the time I was not aware that this was a common occurrence. I chalked it up to my learning curve required when you move to a small EU country.

in Letters · 18 Jun 2021, 01:00 · 4 Comments

Unfortunately I was a victim of theft again. Of course I didn’t notice until a bit later that all my cash was missing giving the criminal ample time to leave or dispose of my money. I did go to the newly stationed Security person at the entrance to the market to notify him of the theft and see if anything could be done even though I had low expectations. His response after hearing that this was the second time I had money stolen at the market was to say, “You should have learned.”
Amazing. What I have learned is that you can expect nothing to ever be done by Officials and criminals are allowed free run to do as they like. I also learned that I will never return to the market and will encourage everyone I know to do the same. Ah Portugal...

Jim Carlson,
By email

Disclaimer:
The views expressed on this page are those of the author and not of The Portugal News.

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Comments

Perhaps Mr Carson you should be more careful with where he puts his your money, it is not only portugal, I believe it happens in the UK too. If you think portugal is so bad perhaps you should not be here.

By Colin from Other on 18 Jun 2021, 11:17

Welcome to Portugal Mr.Carson

By Chico from Algarve on 18 Jun 2021, 20:24

Of course there is almost no place in the world where on markets, busses and crowded places one should have money in acessible pockets. Put the bills in your shirt pocket preferably if it has a button .

By Sarkis from Algarve on 18 Jun 2021, 21:23

The openly xenophobic remarks regarding a whole "small EU country", based on a very local event, is unfortunately common for some people with neo-colonialist mindsets.
There is pickpocketing virtually all over the world, the UK included, and your final statement reading "ah Portugal", could have easily been "ah England/United States of America/Germany/France" and any other country, small or not, developed or not, EU or not.

The situation is incredibly sad, but it could have virtually happend anywhere in the world, as so, the not-so-subtle justification of a criminal's act as being a direct result of a whole nation's size, politics and culture. That's xenophobic at least, and racist at most when you consider the people that inhabit such space and are being bundled up as either criminals or actively supporting it.

Please do take some time to reconsider your editorial approach when bundling up an entire Nation under false assumptions brought about mainly by misguided and racist views to what are in essence universal crimes, repudiated by most law-abiding citizens anywhere in the world, even in "small EU countries".

By Peter from Algarve on 19 Jun 2021, 10:01