This is the dramatic moment a gang of would-be pickpockets targeting unsuspecting tourists in Venice are caught by a crime fighting councillor.
Monica Poli, known as Lady Pickpocket, spends her time touring the piazzas and ferry jetties of the famous lagoon city while keeping an eye out for the crooks.
The modern-day Artful Dodgers – made famous in the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist – are the scourge of Venice, which sees more than 30 million tourists a year.
Although the majority of visitors leave with no issue, so far 900 have been victims to pickpockets.
Armed with just her phone Mrs Poli – who is a Northern League councillor – tours Venice and knows the majority of the ‘dippers’ by sight.
When she sees them, she screams out in Italian and English ‘Attention Pickpockets’, usually sending the would-be thieves running.
In one of her most recent videos, Mrs Poli caught a female pickpocket red handed as she targeted an unsuspecting tourist in Venice.
Dressed smartly, the young woman easily blends in with other travellers as she follows her target over the famous Rialto Bridge.
Footage captured the dramatic moment a gang of would-be pickpockets targeting unsuspecting tourists in Venice are caught by crime fighting councillor Monica Poli
Monica Poli, known as Lady Pickpocket, spends her time touring the piazzas and ferry jetties of the famous lagoon city while keeping an eye out for the crooks
Screen grab shows a suspected pickpocket who was caught and called out by Mrs Poli
Using a map as cover the girl manages to unfasten her victim’s handbag but is thwarted as the woman quickens her pace.
At that moment Mrs Poli confronts her and asks in Italian:’What are you doing ?’ before the clip ends with the pickpocket scowling as she tries to hide her face.
In another video which Mrs Poli shared with MailOnline, three young girls, who are known pickpockets, can be seen in a square in the centre of Venice, but when they see they are being filmed, they disappear.
Another video shows Mrs Poli confronting three men on a jetty while they try to board a crowded boat carrying tourists.
One is dressed in a yellow T shirt, bucket hat and carrying a rucksack and as he spots that he is being filmed he darts off into the street as Mrs Poli alerts tourists: ‘Pickpocket, watch out thieves.’
An accomplice of the man is also seen leaving the jetty after being pointed out and a third tries to blend into the crowd before deciding that he too will make good his escape and run up the street.
Shouting at him in Italian she says: ‘Off the jetty, thief, get off the jetty,’ as he waves his arms in frustration at her while tourists look on and some even applaud her for her quick thinking.
Mrs Poli’s crime fighting exploits caome as Venice’s deputy police chief Gianni Franzoi revealed 900 wallets and purses had been recovered since the start of the year – enough to fill 15 black bin bags.
Video shows Mrs Poli confronting three men on a jetty while they try to board a crowded boat carrying tourists
A man dressed in a yellow T shirt, bucket hat and carrying a rucksack and as he spots that he is being filmed he darts off into the street
Officials said that 100 pickpockets and bag snatchers had been arrested but they were also fighting a losing battle as gangs were now using children as young as 12 and 13 and so therefore under the age of criminal responsibility.
Favoured spots for pickpockets in Venice include crowd boarding ferries, the streets leading to St Mark’s Square and the Rialto bridge which are tiny and cramped and so when a pickpocket brushes past the victim and helps themselves, they know nothing.
But it’s not just tourists who have fallen victim,
Diplomats based in the city and an Arab sheikh have also fallen foul of the young pickpockets who even if they are caught are usually released without charge because of their age.
Mrs Poli said: ‘This is a real problem for us in the city, the age of these criminals because they are so young the police can do nothing but let them go.
‘They should be at school or playing with their friends not out stealing wallets and purses for Mr Bigs – it really is like something from Oliver Twist and the bad guys are just like Mafias.’
Mrs Poli – who also runs a campaign group called Non Distratti (don’t get distracted) – has been fighting for years to tackle the problem and regularly posts on social media clips of herself confronting pickpockets.
One video has amassed an amazing two million clicks as she confronted one pickpocket who took flight – but not before spitting at her as he fled the pontoon jetty.
Pictured: Monica Poli, who is committed to stopping pickpockets on the streets of Venice
Another man is also seen leaving the jetty after being spotted
Shouting at him in Italian Mrs Poli says: ‘Off the jetty, thief, get off the jetty,’ as he waves his arms in frustration at her while tourists look on and some even applaud her for her quick thinking
Her efforts come as Venice’s deputy police chief Gianni Franzoi revealed 900 wallets and purses had been recovered since the start of the year
Both Mrs Poli and Mr Franzoi highlighted how a law change in 2022 has also made it more difficult for pickpockets to be convicted even if they are caught and charged.
Known as the Cartabia reform after former Italian MP and justice minister Marta Cartabia introduced it, the measure changed the way in how minor crimes were handled by the country’s justice system in an attempt to speed up cases and clear backlogs.
With regard to pickpockets it meant the victim had to make a formal complaint and then also turn up at trial and if they didn’t the charge was annulled – but as both Mr Franzoi and Mrs Poli pointed out many victims are ‘overseas tourists’ and simply don’t bother.
Mr Franzoi added: ‘We have been tasked with tackling pickpockets since the 1990s and we have a dedicated squad but over the years the number of incidents has increased considerably.
‘In the early 2000s it was mainly Romani men and women but in recent years it’s younger people and especially girls, mainly children who live in camps outside Venice and they are all part of organised gangs.
In another clip, the councillor confronts a group of teenage girls also believed to be pickpockets
Mrs Poli – who also runs a campaign group called Non Distratti (don’t get distracted) – has been fighting for years to tackle the problem
‘They are very accomplished and know that they can act with impunity because of their age and all we can do is give then a sheet of paper telling them to leave the city limits which they do but then they just come back.
‘The Cartabia reform has really made it difficult for us to secure prosecutions because it needs the victim to make a complaint and turn up for the trial but a foreign tourist is not coming back for a trial over a stolen wallet or purse.’
Mrs Poli added:’ The city of Venice is a labyrinth of alleys and side-streets and by the time you call the police and they arrive the pickpockets have gone but they all know me, and I know have to be very careful.
‘I’ve been threatened and spat at but I am not going to back down and will carry on, what really upsets me is when I see old people and disabled people being pick-pocketed, that makes me so angry and makes me want to fight on.’
Mrs Poli also shared her tips for not being pick-pocketed in Venice and did say the chances were small but advised: ‘Keep your bag in front of you with the zip shut and put your hands over it if you can.
‘Be careful in crowds especially in the streets and if someone brushes past you double check to make sure you have your wallet or purse – the problem is pickpockets dress just like you and me in Venice.
‘A lot of it is common sense, don’t keep important documents with your credit cards, keep them separate and if you have a bag make sure it has an inside zip pocket.’
