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‘I get tunnel vision after I spot them. I can’t see or hear anything else. Everything else becomes lost to me,’ Diego,who moved from the south of Brazil to London six years ago,explains.
As he walks back over the bridge across a pond,the mood has changed and he is now met with cries of ‘hero’ and given handshakes by people who stayed to watch the dramatic scene.
‘I don’t often get people coming up to say “thank you”,but it’s nice,’ he admits.
‘I know how to spot them – my instincts are crazy’
Spotting pickpockets in dense crowds is a skill. I scan everyone walking past who might match Diego’s descriptions,but in typical London fashion everyone merges into one.
However,Diego is clearly an expert. Pointing at the mass of people waiting to watch the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace,he reveals one of the biggest tell tales is cheap shoes.
Diego blending into his surroundings (Picture: Belinda Jiao)
Diego watching over a crowd of tourists (Picture: Belinda Jiao)
He explains: ‘I have absolutely crazy instincts now just based off what they are wearing. They usually have bucket hats or visors on,flashy but obviously fake designer sunglasses,and cheap shoes.’
Pickpockets usually work in pairs,he adds,describing how they often walking erratically by stopping suddenly or randomly changing direction. They tend to target older groups of tourists.
‘They know how to use London’s alleyways and hidden passages to their advantage to make a quick and discreet getaway,’ Diego explains. ‘Now they have even started hiding their faces from me when they see me coming – but it makes it even easier to catch them.’
He always offers footage of pickpockets to police and tries to flag officers down. The day before Metro went out with him,he had managed to get one woman arrested.
But often,the authorities tell Diego to leave it to the professionals – despite theft rates soaring across the city.
London's pickpocketing epidemic
Diego’s efforts come as the rates of theft in the capital shoot up by 712% in London.Between March 2023 and 2024,the Metropolitan Police received more than 79,000 reports of pickpockets.Some 28,155 were reported in Westminster,with one in seven people in the area having something – mainly mobile phones – stolen from them.This marks a 712% increase in the area from three years ago,and is by far the highest rate of thefts across the capital.Other areas are also seeing huge increases in reported incidents,including Kensington and Chelsea seeing a 426% rise on three years ago.Lambeth has also increased by 280%,the City of London by 266% and Greenwich by 245%.
‘I couldn’t sleep the first night I saw them’
Being a pickpocket hunter is a fairly new thing for the delivery driver,who only began a few weeks ago. It all started when he came home from an evening gym session via Buckingham Palace,and saw a group of men and women behave weirdly around a young woman walking on her own.Diego cycled over and saw one of the group reach for the girl’s bag – already feeling pumped from his workout,he knew he had to intervene.‘I got between the girl and the others and they began pushing at me,but eventually they ran off and left me and the girl alone. Afterwards I couldn’t sleep at all,because I was so excited I was able to catch one,’ he recalls.Comment nowWould you feel safer with more citizens like Diego watching out for pickpockets?Comment NowSince then,Diego has challenged at least 20 different thieves,many of whom return to the same spots despite police intervention.‘A lot of the time,they just run away from me. But I’ve been spat at,and hit on the back and pushed to the ground. However,if I can help one person its worth it,’ he says. Diego has set up a fundraiser in the hopes of being able to spend more time hunting pickpockets down. You can donate here.
Beware the vigilante
Despite Diego’s good intentions,the Metropolitan Police say it is best to report any suspicious behaviour to them.‘We urge Londoners and tourists to stay alert in crowded places and report any suspicious behaviour or pickpockets to police,’ a spokesperson told
Metro.‘This summer the capital’s town centres and high streets will see an enhanced police presence as part of our work to build on reductions in theft,robbery and antisocial behaviour.‘We’ll be targeting hotspot areas with both plain and uniformed patrols,building on the progress we’ve already made with a 15.6% reduction in theft from the person in the first six weeks of this financial year.’
