A bit of excitement

While in Perth- normally a very clean and inviting city, we had a bit
of excitement with some of the locals. We sat down at an internet
cafe and, as many people do, completely zone out the world around
them while on the computer. Fortunately the shopkeep and one other
person in the establishment weren't completely engrossed in the latest
goings ons of Brangelina- to see a young kid probably no older than
11 "tie his shoes" next to Betsy's purse. Ashamedly, I had the best
view of her purse at her feet and saw none of this.

The shopkeep immediately came over to us and asked us to check if
everything was still there. The wallet was indeed gone. He and
the one other observant person (out of maybe 20 people crammed
in the shop) pointed him out as he was quickly walking down the street.
There were several people in black shirts so couldn't readily
figure out which one while they were back at the shop frantically
pointing in various directions. I got to the first intersection
about to give up when one passerby noticed the hubub and said a
kid just went to the right down the street. Sprinting in that
direction, a nice lady at a sidewalk cafe calmly noted that a kid
turned down the next closest side street and continued sipping her
coffee as if this was an everyday occurence. Running down the
street, in a doorway were one young boy and 2 slightly older girls-
no more than 14. No one else was around though one other young
couple followed me to possibly help or just see what was going on.

Then a strange moment occurred when the young boy looked at me and
the wheels were turning on what he could say next, but with Betsy's wallet
in one hand and the other full of her cash, he simply handed it all
over. Betsy caught up and confirmed everything was intact. At
this point curiosity got the best of me and I started to question what
a kid his age is doing all this for. At which point the oldest girl,
maybe a sister or cousin, started getting belligerent about us suggesting
this might not be a wise career path and we ought to mind our own business.

I threatened to call the police but they just laughed. They had an
untouchable attitude and began to quickly walk away. More flabbergasted
than anything we just let them go and thanked the various passersby that
pointed us in their direction. Everyone seemed to be very casual about
it and one person jokingly said "Welcome to Australia". We all had
a good laugh (much easier since everything was retrieved safely).

Later at the cybercafe, the shop did call the police and when they did
show up 45 minutes later it was explained to us that even if caught
red-handed as they were, the police could only call their parents to
pick them up from the station. And most times, Aboriginal parents don't
even show up so the kids are put back out to the street (until they reach
legal age- when the laws can finally do something). Apparently this
is a common problem in a lot of big cities and there's not a whole lot
the government can do about it. Other than that, it's been a fantastic
trip so far!