The downtown challenge

Police efforts to crack down on rampant crime in places like Menidi, northwest of Athens, are indeed praiseworthy.

However, there are still hundreds of reports made every day by Greeks and foreigners indicating that purse snatchers, pickpockets and all sorts of small-time crooks are the bane of many parts of downtown Athens and public transportation across the capital.

Even the mayor of Athens has lamented the level of petty crime in central parts around Syntagma and Monastiraki: What a perfect place for Citizens’ Protection Minister Nikos Toskas to really shine.