Dear Editor,
As a British visitor to Palma this Saturday 8 November, I had my wallet stolen while sitting upstairs at Starbucks in Plaça del Cort. My padlocked bag was safe beneath my feet but unfortunately, without thinking, I left my wallet in my zipped fleece. I had put my fleece on the back of my chair as I relaxed and drunk my coffee.
To my horror, I then noticed lots of spending notifications pop up on my phone from my banks, before realising that my two different bank cards had gone. I was quite distressed as I was visiting Palma for the first time and I was on my own.
I want to thank the Policía Local for their quick and very kind response. Although unfortunately, the thief wasn’t found, the officers reacted immediately and made sure I was safe and reassured. This was quite brazen considering I was sitting directly beneath a CCTV camera which will have captured the act.
Palma is such an amazing city but its easygoing atmosphere means tourists like me can sometimes forget how skilled some of these opportunist "carteristas" can actually be, until it is too late. I’d like to suggest that a few more friendly reminders in public places such as cafés and other busy areas like Plaça Mayor could help visitors stay alert.
I’ve since reported the case to the Policía Nacional and my bank back home in England, but I want to publicly thank the Policía Local de Palma and the two officers who helped me for their professionalism and courtesy which made such a big difference.
Yours sincerely,
Joseph Laws
Visitor from London, England