Legalized Pickpocketing

In article <477224B6.6F923C34 RemoveThis @pop.dcn.davis.ca.us>, Tim Bruening wrote:
> How in the world were the nations of Earth persauded to repeal the laws
> against pickpocketing?
>
Are there specific laws against pickpocketing? IANAL, but I don't
think I've heard of any in my jurisdiction. The standard laws against
theft (viz: depriving someone of the use of their property without lawful
excuse, so stealing someone's car keys but not taking the car could
result in a charge of theft of a motor vehicle.) continue to apply, of
course, so stealing something by pickpocketing is pretty much
indistinguishable to smash'n'grab.

--
Aidan Karley,
Written at Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:24 GMT, but posted later.
"Please turn your monitors off when you leave the building. Not only
does it save power, but the flickering of the monitors annoys the
pterosaur."
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ilya2 RemoveThis @rcn.com wrote:

> > Yes, the overarching implication is not just that the practice has been
> > decriminalized in the sense of it's no longer enforced, but rather that
> > it has been fully legalized and it is no longer in violation of any law
> > whatsoever. In other words, it's not that the police won't help you;
> > it's that the pickpockets _aren't doing anything wrong_.
> >
> > > I have just figured out why pickpocketing might have been legalized
> > > after it became impossible to stop: so that the pickpocketers would be
> > > more likely to return the wallets after removing the money!
> >
> > You've absolutely no incentive to return the wallet if you can't be
> > caught, and especially if _there is no law against what you're doing_.
> > The premise here is that it was legalized because it was impossible to
> > enforce. If so, even before it was legalized, there is zero incentive
> > to return the wallet, because you cannot possibly be identified. After
> > it's legalized, you're not even committing a crime anymore, so you're
> > free and clear to do whatever you like.
> >
> > This is why the notion is so fundamentally goofy.
>
> Not *entirely* goofy -- Niven explains that in Beowulf Schaeffer's
> time pickpocketing is essentially a game of skill. If you notice the
> pickpocket and catch his hand, you win. If you don't, he wins.
> Returning your wallet afterwards is "common courtesy" -- failing to do
> so is legal, but unsportsmanlike.

Any ideas on how pickpocketing changed from being a crime to being a national
sport?
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