The Tourist Police in Greece: Emergency Numbers, Theft and Scams, and When to Call

A packed Athens metro car pulls into Syntagma, someone shoves in front of you, and a moment later your zipper is open and the phone is gone. Moments like this, or a bar bill that makes no sense, are when travelers in Greece start looking for the police. The tourist police is the branch that deals with visitors’ problems, and the emergency lines work from any phone.

What is the tourist police?

The tourist police is the part of the Greek police that exists for visitors who run into trouble, from stolen bags to disputes over a bill. It sits alongside the ordinary police, who answer on the national emergency line. For a traveler the practical point is simple: when something goes wrong, a police officer is who you turn to, and the situations that bring visitors to that door are fairly predictable.

Most of those situations involve petty crime and a few well-known scams rather than anything violent. Crimes against tourists, such as pick-pocketing and purse-snatching, occur at popular tourist sites and on public transportation. The metro is the place singled out again and again, and in Athens it is where visitors are most likely to meet theft.

The Athens metro and busy sights

The Athens metro carries you to the Acropolis area, Syntagma and Omonia, which is exactly why it attracts thieves. A common tactic is teamwork. One person causes a commotion or pushes travelers around to distract them, while another person snatches the belongings. A sudden jostle in a crowded doorway is the moment to check your pockets and bag.

The same kind of theft happens around popular tourist sites, where people stand still, look up and take photos. If something is taken, the police are the people who take your report, and the more precisely you remember where and when it happened, the easier that conversation is. A report is also the first thing anyone will ask for if a passport or card has to be replaced.

Bars, resorts and rental cars

Outside the cities, the cases look different. The U.S. Embassy has received reports of alcohol-induced attacks targeting individual tourists at some holiday resorts and bars in Greece. Faliraki on Rhodes has a reputation for theft, public indecency, sexual assault and alcohol-fueled violence, though it has calmed down since a new tough mayor was elected.

Rental cars are another target. Thieves seek out and break into them to steal passports, valuables and luggage, which is why a car parked at a beach or a trailhead is a different matter from a car parked at a hotel. A break-in is a police matter, and so is a bar bill that turns into a confrontation.

How do you reach them?

You reach the police by phone on the national emergency line, and the EU-wide emergency number works as well. Both are free of any local setup: you dial from your own phone, in the street, at a ferry port or in a hotel lobby. Save them in your phone before the trip so that you are not searching for them with a shaking hand.

Which line to use

The police line is the one for a theft in progress, an assault, a break-in or a confrontation in a bar. The EU-wide line is the one to remember if you are not sure who you need, since it is the number shared across European countries and Greece is one of them. Either way, give your location first, in plain words: the town, the street, the metro station, the beach or the name of your hotel.

If you are on an island, name the island and the nearest village or port. If you are on a road, say which direction you were traveling and the last place you passed. Short, clear sentences work better on a bad line than a long account of what happened.

When strikes and protests complicate things

Domestic strikes, demonstrations and work stoppages are common throughout Greece and can become violent. Transportation strikes interrupt traffic, public transportation, taxis, seaports and airports, so a trip to a police station or to the airport after a loss can take longer than planned. Before heading to the airport, confirm your domestic and international flights.

In Athens, demonstrators frequently congregate in the Polytechnic University area, Exarchia, Omonia and Syntagma Squares. In Thessaloniki, they gather at Aristotle Square, Aristotle University and the Kamara area. Travelers are told to avoid all areas affected by the annual November 17 demonstrations, including the U.S. Embassy in Athens, so on that day a call is better than a walk across town.

Earthquakes and other emergencies

Tremors and earthquakes occur regularly in Greece. In a real emergency of any kind, the same two numbers apply, and the EU-wide line is the natural one when what you need is not obviously the police. Hotel staff, ferry crews and local shopkeepers are often the nearest people who can make a call in Greek for you, which can help when the situation is confusing.

What do they help with?

They help with the crimes and disputes that visitors actually meet: theft, scams, break-ins, violence around bars and trouble with the rules of sites and museums. Knowing the usual patterns lets you describe the problem quickly and see it coming in the first place.

Theft and scams

The most commonly reported major scam against travelers is the Greek version of the old clip joint routine. It is reported primarily from central Athens. A single male traveler is invited to a bar and then presented with an astronomical bill enforced by thugs. If you find yourself in that spot, the police line is the right call, and it is also the reason to be wary of a friendly invitation from a stranger.

Money has its own trick. You should not accept to change your money on the street, and if someone asks you to change a €20 or €50 note, refuse because you might get a counterfeit note. Pickpocketing, purse-snatching and car break-ins round out the list, and in each case the police are who record what happened.

Photography and antiquities

Some police matters involve the visitor as the one in the wrong, often without meaning it. It is strictly forbidden to take photos of military installations or other strategic locations in Greece, and authorities will take violations quite seriously. It is also best not to take photographs of airports or any aircraft, even civilian ones, because Greek authorities can be very sensitive about such things.

Museums have their own rules. Many museums in Greece prohibit photography without a permit, some prohibit only flash or tripod photography, and many ask visitors not to take photos of objects which include people standing by them. Antiquities are the most serious case.

All objects made before 1830 are considered antiquities and are protected by the Ministry. Exporting or buying any piece of archaeological value is illegal and can lead to arrest at the airport for trafficking.

Crossing the street and other road trouble

The greatest danger to travelers in Greece is probably in the simple process of crossing the street. Traffic can be bad even in smaller towns and horrendous in Athens, and accident rates are high. After an accident, the emergency lines are the ones to dial, whether you were on foot or in a rental car.

A rental car adds the break-in risk on top of the traffic. Thieves look for passports, valuables and luggage, so a report to the police after a break-in is the step that starts replacing what was taken. For a lost passport, the report is the paper you will want in hand.

Good to know before you go

Carry what you need for the day and leave the rest locked away, especially on the metro and at busy sights. Credible information indicates that terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Europe, and all European countries, including Greece, remain potentially vulnerable.

Extremists focus on tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, hotels, restaurants and places of worship, which is a reason to stay aware in crowds. Save the police number and the EU-wide number in your phone, and keep the address of your hotel written down.