Eastern Europeans are believed to be among the main contributors to a surge in pickpocketing statistics registered in Malta last year.

A total of 502 pickpocketing crimes were reported in 2010, up from 450 the previous year, official police statistics show. And a good number of them are believed to be caused by gangs of Romanians and Bulgarians trawling shopping and entertainment hotspots.

Police have deployed extra patrols in a bid to curb the increase in offences and in the coming months surveillance cameras will be installed in Zachary, Merchants, St John and St Lucy streets in Valletta, according to superintendent Alexandra Mamo from the Valletta police station.

Figures obtained by The Sunday Times for 2010 show that the number of reported pickpocketing crimes soared during the summer months, especially in tourist areas like Valletta and St Julian’s.

Police believe organised gangs of Romanians and Bulgarians are constantly preying on shoppers and commuters, before moving on to other cities in a borderless Europe.

“There is a pattern evidently pointing towards Eastern Europeans, who often operate in groups of two or three,” Supt Mamo said.

On the other hand, Maltese thieves often operate on their own steam, and are more scattered in the villages.

Last November, two Bulgarian women were charged with stealing €2,680 from seven people in Malta and Gozo over a span of four days in mid-August. It was a period when pickpocketing reports had reached a peak, with 30 being made at the Valletta police station in one week alone.

One police source said it was believed that Eastern Europeans were using Malta as a training ground for pickpocketing, sending their proceeds abroad, before moving on to bigger European cities.

With almost military precision, the thieves have been known to use well-rehearsed tactics to perfect their trade.

In the past, police have encountered pickpockets of Roma gypsy origins whose thumb had been fractured in a particular way from a young age to enable them to easily slip their hand into the victim’s pocket.

Supt Mamo said pickpockets are sometimes seen loitering around bank cash machines, shoulder-surfing, waiting to pound on the most vulnerable. Many still have the habit of counting their cash in full view of anyone who may be watching, prompting criminals to follow them. Some bank clients have been naive enough to leave a slip of paper with their Personal Identification Number written on it in their bag.

One tactic has seen women bump into their victim, while her accomplice helps himself to the wallet.

One woman charged with pickpocketing went as far as to change wigs while she operated in Valletta.

Supt Mamo called on the public to be constantly on the lookout to avoid falling victim to crime, the same way many do when they go to other European cities.

“We see the same mistakes all too often. Women with handbags open their purses in full view, handbags hooked on to pushchair handles, the list goes on,” she said.

Others operate in busy shops where clients are busier concentrating on buying clothes than keeping an eye on their wallets or purses.

The increase of Closed Circuit TV in shops has helped the police to net more criminals, and the new cameras should beef up security in the capital, Supt Mamo said.

“We’re not trying to turn Valletta into a police state; what we’re doing is trying to curb abuse... but of course it’s up to everybody to always be on the alert and take nothing for granted.”

Pickpocketing in 2010

Month Total
January 31
February 29
March 42
April 48
May 41
June 50
July 90
August 72
September 24
October 30
November 24
Total 481

Localities targeted most
St Julian’s - 193
Valletta - 120
Sliema - 56
Floriana - 18
Vittoriosa - 12

Source: Police Communications and Media Relations Unit.

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