SCOTT SIMON, host: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.</s>SCOTT SIMON, host: So I was working the nightshift out at St. Peter's Basilica. There's a crime wave in Vatican City. The attorney general of that small city-state run by the pope released crime statistics this week. In 2006, there were 341 civil and 486 criminal cases among a population of 492 people. That's 1.5 cases per person, well above the crime rate in Rio, New Orleans, or even the Chicago city council.</s>SCOTT SIMON, host: Of course, most of the perps are pickpockets or purse-snatchers who blend in among the 18 million annual visitors to the pope's home. And few arrests are made because they can flee across the border into Italy with just a few quick steps. But it's worth noting that six million people surged into Vatican City as Pope John Paul was dying in 2005, and not a single pickpocket even was reported.</s>SCOTT SIMON, host: Coming up, crime wasn't much of a problem among the eight people cooped up in Biosphere II, but there were other issues. Stay tuned.
The Vatican has the highest crime rate in the world, according to a new report. But the statistics largely reflect the fact that tourists at St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican museums are easy targets for pickpockets.