Almost certainly this isn't the case, but of course being aware of the methods used by criminals to obtain access to people's luggage will help you to protect yourself against such risks. Knowing how they achieve their tricks will allow you to put into place methods that will prevent them from all but the most determined theft.



Should you wish to steal luggage, the easiest way of doing this of course is to identify bags or cases left either unattended or whose owner is paying little or no attention, more distracted perhaps by their children's activities, the departure board or an argument with their loved one. Make sure in this case you are quick, casual, deliberate and draw little or no attention to yourself. It is remarkable how successful this simple technique can be.

Should you find an interesting looking carryon bag left tucked under chair whilst its owner sits on the chair, it is a simple task to sit on the chair behind the owner. Then, carefully pull the bag through the rear legs of the chair and then either walk off with it, or have a casual look through its contents and remove anything interesting. Some owners have become wise to this method and either keep hold of the shoulder strap or loop it through another case's handle or part of the chair. In such a situation, simply pull out the pair of scissors or small knife that you keep with you, and cut through the strap. In most cases, this is quickly and easily done, particularly with the cheaper bags.

Should you find that the owner has taken care against even this method by purchasing a bag with a strap built to resist cutting, then you may be forced to look at alternative ways of accessing its contents. Find any bag which is not being watched carefully, such as those over the shoulders of passengers looking at departure boards in crowded area, and identify a zipped pocket which looks likely to contain interesting items. Zips are easily opened with very little trouble, however, should the owner have had the foresight to lock the zip closed, simply start at the opposite end to the lock and pull the teeth of the zip apart. Cheap zips will pop open very easily and allow you to remove the items from within.

In rare cases, the owner may have even purchased a bag with zips that resist forced opening in this way. In which case, you will have to resort to the quick and easy method of taking a Stanley knife or other similar knife and quickly cutting a slash somewhere near the bottom of the bag. This will allow the contents to drop out, and for you to pick up the most interesting of items and disappear quickly into the crowd.

One final piece of advice: should you find that the owner of the bag has purchased one with a metal mesh lining built into the case itself to prevent the cutting open of the bag, it is worth giving up and finding a far easier target, since there will be many more of these throughout the airport.

It is, of course, a tongue in cheek way of looking at the situation, and I am in no way encouraging the theft from bags in airports. However, bear in mind the range of methods that criminals do use, and some of the ways you can help guard against any reason for them to target you. Remember the golden rule, that the most likely target is to be a bag whose owner is paying little or no attention to it, and that you should at all times make sure that you give no criminal any reason to think that you would make such a target.