Apparently, a group of Venice pickpockets has filed a lawsuit against a local citizens’ patrol named “Not Distracted Citizens,” who have begun stalking and filming pickpockets in public.

The pickpockets allege that the citizens’ group has “violated” their personal freedoms and has no authority to stop or film them in public. The local police sort of agree, issuing a statement neither condemning nor condoning the pickpockets’ behavior, stating, “The absence of clear national rules makes it difficult to respond effectively.”

Pickpocketing is a big annoyance in Venice. Last month, a video of an American tourist holding a suspected pickpocket by the ponytail went viral. In it, the American woman refuses to let the pickpocket go until her items are returned to her.

I know Venice is already flooded with tourists, but if they really want to stop pickpocketing once and for all, they need to hire undercover Americans to roam the streets.

An American tourist grabbed a pickpocket girl by the ponytail while vacationing in Italy and refused to let her go until she got her passport and credit cards back pic.twitter.com/w3roLurQLU

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