Crime Information for Tourists in Slovakia
Police forces suffer from a lack of manpower, resources, and equipment. Local police do not usually speak English. Western visitors, especially short-term visitors such as tourists and students, are the primary foreign targets of street crime. The majority of street crime is non-violent. The most common crimes reported include pick-pocketing and cell phone and bag/purse theft, particularly during the summer months. Other crimes reported in the past include the less common robbery, and drugging and robbing of unsuspecting victims at nightspots and bars. Most thefts reported by U.S. citizens occur at crowded tourist sites (such as Bratislava’s Old Town area) or on public buses, trams, or trains. Thieves in Slovakia often work in groups or pairs. In most cases, one thief distracts the victim, another performs the robbery, and a third person hands off the stolen item to a nearby accomplice. Groups of street children are known to divert tourists’ attention so that a member of their group can pickpocket the tourists while they are distracted.
Foreigners and minorities, particularly non-white individuals, have been victims of racially motivated incidents in Slovakia, and may be especially subject to various types of harassment, such as verbal abuse.
Both indigenous and foreign organized crime groups are well established in Slovakia. They do not target U.S. citizens or other foreign individuals and tend to coexist peacefully in tourist districts so as not to scare away tourist dollars. Though not common, violent incidents sometimes do occur.
Don’t buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal to bring back into the United States, but you will be breaking local law too.
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