My elderly mam and her friend just came back from Salou where, on the very first day of their holiday, her friend had her purse stolen by a distraction type pickpocket. They were in Michaelangelo's supermarket near their hotel (California Gardens) when two men began asking them about fruit and which type was best. When they got to the checkout her friend found that her purse had been stolen. So please be aware of this type of crime when you go anywhere (Not just Spain). To say it spoiled their time over in Salou is an understatement. Are pickpockets a big problem in Salou? We are always warned about Barcelona but hear very little about anywhere aelse.

No more than anywhere else. The problem is that if an opportunity is there it will be spotted and taken and as you rightly say this applies to anywhere especially in the middle of a severe recession

We are just back from Salou and my sister in law had her bag stolen in Macdonalds at the beach the bag was under the table at her feet, one minute it was there the next gone...we don't have a clue how they done it with out anyone noticing...it was the last day of the holiday and on a Sunday which was a nightmare...we had to get a train to Barcelona the next day to get an emergency passport....when we got to the British Embassy they said that there are groups working on stealing from tourists...Channel 4 were filming at the Embassy...making a programme about pickpocket..it ruins your holiday

I am very sorry to hear about these episodes...BUT...SO many times 'we' post advice to NOT TAKE ANYTHING IMPORTANT WITH YOU ON A DAY OUT!!.
Just take enough money for the day, and spread it amongst your pockets, and members of your group/family.
Anybody who takes their Passport out with them is simply asking for trouble.
There are many ways of avoiding these troublesome events...and peace of mind during your holiday HAS to be the main priority for you to relax and enjoy yourself.
If you divide your spending money up between the number of days you will be staying, and just take that out with you...and it gets stolen, you will only have less than a day of your holiday ruined.

I don't want to be argumentative and I agree with you Nick. But it is actually a legal requirement in Spain to carry photographic ID at all times. For most people on holiday, this is their passport. It's a tough one...

I always carry a colour photocopy of my passport and it has always been accepted as vaild ID.

It's awful when that happens, puts a right dampner on things. My friend and I were in Salou late last June and after a long night out decided to sit down at a beach promenade bench for a minute before going back to our hotel, when two black guys came along and were being randomly friendly "hey guys, you enjoying Salou, where do you come from etc etc" I thought it odd so immediately thought to hold on to my pockets but before Icould warn my friend, they'd made off with her iphone and were nowhere to be seen within seconds. You can get caught up in the enjoyment while on holiday and let your guard down, just always try to remember to keep hold of everything constantly!