Woman Cheered for Confronting Suspected Pickpockets Targeting Tourists

A woman from Venice, Italy, told Newsweek why she spends her time calling out pickpockets in the city.

With thousands of followers on TikTok and Facebook, 57-year-old Monica is part of a group that aims to disturb and prevent active pickpockets in the historic center.

"I have been part of a group of disturbance against pickpockets for 30 years—together with 40 other people," Monica told Newsweek.

With other members of the volunteer group Cittadini Non Distratti, meaning "Citizens not distracted," Monica spends time in the popular tourist spots in Venice looking out for and calling out potential thieves.

Newsweek reached out to Venice police via email for comment.

Locations with large numbers of tourists are common targets for pickpockets as crowded areas facilitate discreetly removing items from a person's pocket, bag or purse.

Venice attracts millions of tourists each year. According to the latest available data, tourist arrivals in Venice from the U.S. tripled in 2021.

In addition to money and valuable personal items, Monica said that some pickpockets will try to remove passports from tourists: "People are pickpocketed for their American or English passport, then to return to their country they have to go to the embassy in [...] Rome," she said. "This incurs additional expenses for them, so it is better to prevent this by warning tourists of the problem."

The recent Cartabia reform in Italy, named after now former Justice Minister Marta Cartabia, has changed the way crime is dealt with. The Cartabia reform aims to streamline and expedite the judicial process so that cases move more swiftly through the courts and reduce a backlog, according to proponents of the law.

The reform has generated debate within the country. Monica said that she felt it was letting pickpockets get away with more than ever before. "Because of the Cartabia reform if there is no report from the robbed person, you are free to steal," she said.

Walking the streets and calling out suspected pickpocket offenders, Monica and her team have also started sharing their work online where it has gained viral attention.

Originally the group shared their videos on Facebook, but it has found a new audience on the popular video-sharing app TikTok.

"We decided to make our videos go viral to inform tourists to be careful," said Monica. "There is a lack of prevention and information about what is happening in the city and we are all happy that these videos are letting people see the problem in Venice and throughout Italian cities."

The group has been active for a while. In a 2020 report by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, a Venice police officer told reporters they do not support this form of vigilante justice.

"It's forbidden to put these recordings on the internet," Diego Brentani from the Venice Police Union told Deutsche Welle. "Especially if they are minors. It's forbidden to get physical—even if the people concerned are known pickpocketers. As long as they are not caught red-handed, the presumption of innocence applies."

Brentani added: "A citizen may not simply attack another citizen."

In the same report though, Deutsche Welle also said that "Venice police have their hands full, and welcome help from the volunteers."

Alongside millions of views on TikTok, others have shared their reactions to the content elsewhere. Twitter user @mistercodester reposted one of the videos and wrote: "My newest obsession is this Italian woman who calls out pickpockets and publicly shames them."

"I'm hooked," replied another fan. Another wrote: "Make her chief of police."

"Her voice is also just so satisfying to listen to," read another comment.