The ‘baby pickpockets’ of Venice: How gangs have recruited an army of children to prey on tourists in packed streets of Italian holiday hotspot

Venetian gangs are grooming children to work as pickpockets as they seek to prevent police crackdowns from eating into their profits, officials and activists have warned.

Venice, as one of Italy’s top tourist attractions, has long been a hotspot for criminal activity targeting unsuspecting holidaymakers.

The scourge has led furious residents to form their own associations to publicise the identities of those caught in the act and work as volunteer informants for police.

A slew 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.

Officials warn that legal loopholes already allow adult pickpockets, particularly women, to operate with little concern for law enforcement.

Deputy Chief of the local police, Gianni Franzoi, told Secolo d’Italia: ‘There are now more female pickpockets, drawn to the city by a bubble of legal impunity…

‘(The law) stipulates, in addition to a formal complaint, the injured parties’ presence at the hearing,’ he said, explaining that in order for a pickpocket to be convicted, the victim must also attend the court date.

‘The victims are mostly foreigners, and they hardly ever come to the hearing. So, there are no trials and no convictions.’

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.

Venetian gangs are grooming children to work as pickpockets as they seek to prevent police crackdowns from eating into their profits, officials and activists have warned

Tourists are seen filling St. Marks Square in Venice. Police officials say they expect up to 900 empty wallets to be found in the square this year amid a rise in pickpocketing

Suspected pickpockets hide their identities from the camera 

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 normalisation of crimes that damage people’s lives and the city’s image on a daily basis,’ Brugnaro declared last week. 

‘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 US 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. 

Monica Poli, a middle-aged Italian woman from Venice, became an internet sensation in 2023 as she publicised the work of her citizens’ association against pickpockets

Suspected pickpockets walk away from Poli as she screams ‘Attenzione, borseggiatori!’ 

Poli’s 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

In the meantime, deputy police chief 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.’