Ireland placed on top 10 list of tourist destinations 'to watch out for pickpocketing'

Ireland has been named among the top 10 places in Europe where tourists need to be wary of pickpockets.

Holidaymakers planning trips across the EU have been warned of the top 10 most visited European countries they are most likely to be pickpocketed.

Travel insurance comparison experts at Quotezone.co.uk have compiled the stats to reveal where each of the most popular European holiday destinations ranks on their European Pickpocketing Index.

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The index ranks the most popular European holiday destinations by the proportion of pickpocketing mentions in visitor reviews of each country’s top five tourist attractions.

Visitors to Italy’s Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Pantheon in Rome, the Duomo di Milano in Milan, and the Gallerie Degli Uffizi in Florence mentioned having items stolen in 1,906 Tripadvisor reviews.

France is the second most visited country by other EU tourists and has the second highest number of pickpocketing mentions at 283 per million visitors, with all five attractions monitored being in Paris.

The Netherlands ranked third on the pickpocketing index despite being only the ninth most visited country.

Despite Barcelona’s reputation for pickpocketing, Spain - the most popular holiday destination for British and Irish tourists only came sixth on the list with five times fewer mentions of theft than Italy.

The index suggests that tourists enjoying a pint at the Guinness Storehouse can feel fairly confident their possessions are safe.

The Republic of Ireland ranks ninth, with only 30 pickpocketing mentions per million visitors.

This comes after An Garda Siochana discovered there was a pickpocket gang operating in Dublin city centre after officers noticed an increase in what they’ve called ‘distraction thefts’ in the capital.

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