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A strategy to deal with street holdups anywhere in the city ( or World): put your hand in your pocket, pull out your loose change, throw it on the floor and RUN ! - even better if you use non - Dutch money! - I have heard of this working on several occasions, but obviously you have to judge the situation before trying this. Try to avoid wandering around any of the more deserted streets and alleys in the "Red Light " area(s) at night - such seem to be "Hot Spots" for street robberies. Central Station is not a good area after dark, the road at the rear of Central station becomes an illegal "Red Light " area for motorists and a hang out for smack & crack heads -who, if not selling sex, "work" the main station area and forecourt along with other criminals. The platforms of the Underground/Metro/Subway at Central Station and a few stops down are also "hot" -a lot of hard drug dealers hang out here for a quick get away from the Police, and where there are dealers.... Care should also be taken during the daytime, particularly on exiting the bank, I know of one visitor who had his money snatched out of his hand on the station forecourt one afternoon. On the up side, I have noticed that Central Station is well policed and on my last couple of visits I saw arrests in progress - but remember the Police cannot be everywhere.
Coffeeshop Tourists Smuggling anything illegal out of Amsterdam for yourself (or anybody else) is not recommended. Cannabis Seeds are illegal in many countries - but not UK, where trying to make them grow in any way, however, is. Pipes and other smoking paraphernalia are widely available in the Souvenir shops near the Dam Monument and in many coffeeshops. Suggest you dispose of used pipes before you travel back, - if "the man" finds used pipes etc on you, he will probably want to investigate you further.
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