They say that crime doesn't pay, but today it seems we all have to contribute our property to make sure it does. At least that's how it seems sometimes. But becoming a victim of crime is often the result of the victim's own failure to be alert, or to use common sense.

A woman's purse can be a very lucrative thing to a criminal. Women carry money and credit cards in their purses, and they can be a treasure trove of IDs, documents, keys, addresses, checks, cell phones, and all kinds of other items except the kitchen sink.

Every year millions of women have their purses snatched from their arms, or picked up from shopping carts, cars, and other public places. Police say the number one way purses are stolen is through car larceny, when purses are left visible. The second most common way is through inattention.

Is the convenience of carrying a purse becoming outweighed today by the risk of being targeted by a thief? Purse snatching is a crime of opportunity; when a woman dangles her purse from her shoulder walking through parking lots alone, or sets her purse down while strapping a child into a car seat, someone may be watching, looking for a chance to grab it.

I was just recently a victim of a purse snatching myself. While pumping gas in a rental car at a service station, my purse was taken from the front seat. Being unfamiliar with the car, I was distracted with finding the gas cap and did not notice a blue SUV stop briefly near the driver's side of my car. The gas filler was on the passenger side, so my vision was somewhat obscured. When I reported to the station manager my purse was missing he said that I was the fourth woman that month to have a purse stolen there.

A review of the surveillance tape showed a man emerge from the SUV in a squatting position, quietly open the door and reach across the front seat for my purse. It all happened very quickly. Fortunately, I had no credit cards in the purse, and little cash. But having to put stop payments on checks and replace photo IDs was time consuming and costly. Of course, theft of IDs has the potential for identity fraud.

In conversations about my experience, other women have related their own or someone else's encounter with purse theft. One mother attending a little league game left her purse in her locked vehicle under the seat, only to return and find the window broken and her purse gone. Another woman told about the violent jerk she got when a young man running at full speed pulled her purse off her shoulder. Just a few weeks ago a shocking news film showed a woman in Florida being dragged 20 feet because she would not let go of her purse. The thief finally gave up after slashing her arms with a knife.

So the question women must ask themselves is how necessary is it to carry a purse everywhere. Even if the purse carries no valuables, a thief is not going to be aware of that. There may be alternatives to carrying a purse, and I am certainly looking at other options. I have discovered that there are a variety of belt clip wallets and small cases that can be carried at the waist. Some are small enough to be hidden under clothing. Of course, cell phones also have belt clips. In the final analysis, each woman will have to balance her need to carry a purse with the risk of being a crime victim.

Frances Allday