24-07-2025
Criminal gangs are recruiting children to prey on vulnerable tourists in Venice
Criminal gangs in Venice, Italy, are grooming children to work as pickpockets as they seek to prevent police crackdowns from eating into their profits, officials and activists have warned.
The city, as one of Italy 's top tourist attractions, has long been a hotspot for criminal activity targeting unsuspecting vacationers.
A series of videos published on social media shows alleged pickpockets - often teenage girls and in some cases pregnant women - attempting to cover their faces as enraged citizens yell to draw attention to them.
The scourge has led furious residents to form their own associations to publicize the identities of those caught in the act and work as volunteer informants for police.
But even amid an increased police presence and efforts by citizen activists to catch opportunists, those under the age of 14 cannot bear criminal responsibility.
Gangs are therefore stepping up efforts to recruit 'baby borseggiatori' - or baby pickpockets - into their ranks.
The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, has called for the existing legal framework to be adapted to give police and courts more powers to prosecute pickpockets.
'We cannot resign ourselves to the normalization of crimes that damage people's lives and the city's image on a daily basis.
'We need urgent corrective measures. The government has to listen to local communities and guarantee urban security.'
Meanwhile, Monica Poli, spokesperson for the association Cittadini Non Distratti (Undistracted Citizens), denounced the involvement of children in criminal activities.
'The problem is that there are many minors under 13, including girls (who are pickpockets).
'What drives us forward is above all to defend the most vulnerable groups, namely the elderly and disabled, who are the preferred victims of these increasingly violent pickpockets, and we do so out of civic duty.'
Poli has garnered significant notoriety on social media, particularly on TikTok, where she and her fellow citizen activists routinely post videos of suspected pickpockets.
Her catchphrase 'Attenzione, borseggiatori!' (Attention, pickpockets!) went viral in 2023 and has been remixed into dance tracks and used to mock everyday scenarios, like animals trying to nibble their owners' food.
The newfound social media fame helped to shine a light on the work Poli and her fellow volunteers, who first began combing the streets for pickpockets some three decades ago, have done.
Poli says that her group aims to protect tourists and raise awareness about pickpocketing in Venice, claiming her group protects U.S. and UK tourists from being targeted.
'I have been part of a group of disturbance against pickpockets for 30 years - together with 40 other people,' she told Newsweek shortly after erupting to social media stardom.
'People are pickpocketed for their American or English passport, then to return to their country they have to go to the embassy in [...] Rome.'
'This incurs additional expenses for them, so it is better to prevent this by warning tourists of the problem.'
Poli claims she has never been asked to stop by police, but runs a physical risk for her actions, adding she was once attacked by a group of women who fell foul of her vigilantism.
In the meantime, deputy police chief Ganni Franzoi laments that the rate of pickpocketing - which skyrocketed after the return of tourists following the lifting of pandemic restrictions - looks set to continue on its upward trajectory.
'This year we've intercepted 100 pickpockets, including several minors,' he told Italian media.
'Another interesting statistic is the number of wallets found in St Mark's Square: we'll reach 900 in 2025.'
Officials point out that without a change in legislation, citizen activist groups and individual victims will continue to carry out vigilante justice.
In some cases, such situations have led to violent assaults, some of which are perpetrated against innocent bystanders mistaken for thieves.
Last week, a 60-year-old German tourist was beaten by a group of angry citizens and holidaymakers who had reacted to warnings that a Spanish family had just fallen foul of pickpocketing.
The Spaniard in question grabbed hold of the ageing German and pushed him against the wall, before others rushed in to surround him.
He was ultimately pushed and struck several times as the crowd forced him to empty his pockets and open his bag before police arrived.
'I arrived on vacation in Venice three days ago,' he told police officers, according to Venezia Today.
'I never expected something like this. I was attacked, beaten, and called a thief. Now I want to file a complaint against those who attacked me.'
