"Brava Monica": Meet Woman Fighting Pickpocketers On Streets Of Venice

We all have heard of tourists getting robbed off in the streets of popular European cities. While getting robbed in the streets of an unfamiliar country feels terrifying, this Italian woman is helping people fight pickpocketers. 

Monica Poli was born and raised as a Venetian. Poli lives in the historic center of Venice with her family and is actively on a mission to track pickpocketers and help the victims out by spending much of her spare time patrolling the streets of the canal city. 

In the 1990s, she worked in a clothes store in Venice, which happened to be popular among Japanese tourists.

“It was when pickpocketing first started — people knew Asian travelers carried lots of cash, they would come to pay, and find themselves without their wallet. I can’t even describe [their reaction] — it was like something impossible had happened.” 

She joined Cittadini Non-Distratti — a volunteer group founded in the 1990s after witnessing the rise in pickpocketers in Venice. With around 50 members and a wider network of eagle-eyed informers, they operate while eyeing for possible crimes.

Poli also revealed her intention behind helping out the victims of pickpocketing. In an interview with CNN, she stated:

“I think I do it out of a sense of civic pride, I believe that if someone saw [a pickpocket] robbing my wallet they’d do the same.”

In 2023, she shared her first video on social media which received rave reviews from the audience. Her now-viral warning, “attenzione pickpocket, attenzione borseggiatori," is now widely used in protest videos and has also been remixed into songs. However, she has been physically attacked by perpetrators in many instances. Despite, the dangers involved, she continues to help people. 

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Why Is Pickpocketing Prevalent In Italy? 

According to a September 2024 report from the Italian Interior Ministry, reported by website L’Eurispes, data from 2023 and early 2024 suggests that thefts on public transport over the past decade have seen constant growth since 2021, with 2023 seeing the highest numbers of thefts in the past 10 years.

A 2022 law now requires victims to file formal reports for prosecution of pickpockets. However, the charges would be dropped if the victim doesn’t appear at the subsequent trial. 

While most pickpocketers target tourists as they carry a lot of cash, the victims suffer robberies on Venice’s metros, trains, and buses.