The Criminal Art Of Pickpocket

JAKARTA - The police arrested a pickpocket syndicate in the Mandalika 2021 World Superbike (WSBK) racing area. Their action has received wide attention because apart from being planned, there is a possibility that this action is related to an international pickpocket network. In a broad view, pickpocketing is an interesting profession. It's a crime but it's also an art. Truly. Life itself is also an art. There is no context of life that can be separated from the art form.

The Head of Public Relations of the NTB Police, Kombes Artanto, explained that the action of the pickpocket syndicate was successfully revealed thanks to the cooperation between the police and the community. Artanto also said this action was planned. From the arrest, the police confiscated a number of evidences of four units of mobile phones branded IPhone and Samsung.

"From yesterday's WSBK security activity, four perpetrators consisting of one man and three women were caught stealing cellphones belonging to spectators in the Tosca green ticket stands ... They got the goods in action on Sunday," said Artanto during a press conference at the NTB Regional Police. , Mataram, reported by Antara, Tuesday, November 23.

It is known, three of the four pickpockets have a family relationship. They are LA (41) and her husband, DC (45); and their daughter with the initials DA (24). Another person, with the initials AW, is a neighbor of the family from Jakarta.

And as mentioned earlier, their actions are planned bin schematic. Each actor has a role. DA takes on the role of a distraction. Then LA is on duty as a picker to take a cell phone from the victim's bag.

The next scheme is AW's turn, which is responsible for receiving the LA picks. AW also had to dismantle the victim's cellphone, unlock the security code and discard the card before handing it over to DC as the last player.

Based on the investigation, it was later discovered that there were international group relations in the LA, DC, DA, and AW actions. Reportedly they have big plans for action in the 2022 MotoGP event.

They plan to invite pickpockets from Malaysia, Turkey, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines to act in the MotoGP event later. It is also known that the perpetrators had previously acted at the Sepang Circuit, Malaysia to Singapore.

Initial investigations also revealed that there were other groups besides LA, DC, DA, and AW. They act as another group of four. The police have not revealed the identity of the perpetrators in the second group. What is clear they are in action on Saturday, November 20.

"For the first group of four, they act on Sunday, November 21. There are two crime scenes. The first is in the stands and the other is at Epicentrum Mataram Mall."

"In total, the evidence is four cellphones. This second group stole the cellphones of Japanese journalists. We have just named them as suspects," said Director of Criminal Investigation of the NTB Regional Police Kombes Har Brata, quoted by Antara.

Pickpocketing is one of the most organized crimes. In many films, the existence of pickpockets is often depicted as a mafia group. They consist of many groups that move quietly in the street business. Just without the red carpet privileges, violence, and intrigue. There's just a trick. This is what makes pickpockets more valuable than other crimes.

New York was once a pickpocket paradise. In 1990, the city recorded 23,000 cases. That year was also the peak of the pickpockets' glory because in the following years the number of cases decreased. By 1995, pickpocketing cases had halved in New York.

In 2000, cases of pickpocketing decreased to five thousand reports throughout the country. Writer for Slate, Joe Keohane, who has explored this through research, explains one of the reasons for the decline in pickpockets: fewer pickpockets.

Pickpocketing is a criminal act that requires not only training but also talent. Just like art. Or even pickpockets are actually artists. There are three basic things that a pickpocket must master: calm, patience, and the ability to overcome panic.

Calmness is needed to avoid people's suspicions. Patience is needed because execution time is very important and specific. A pickpocket must have a trained instinct to make decisions about when he will pick his victim's belongings.

Then, the ability to overcome panic is crucial because this stealth action burns adrenaline to its hottest levels. The combination of these three abilities will determine success. The rest, of course, train hands.

Sherman 'OT' Powell once attended one of the 'pickpocket schools' in New York. He told NPR that the pickpocket group had a regeneration culture. Older pickpockets, commonly called 'cable', will usually pass their knowledge on to younger pickpockets.

"Then they (cables) will train five (people). And they, juniors who have been trained have to train five more people. And that will keep the system running," Sherman.

Sherman describes the training he took at the school in 1969, the heyday of pickpockets. He remembered how to walk into a room full of half-dressed mannequins.

The mannequins have bells on pockets or bags or other points where valuables can be placed. And pickpockets must be able to pick up things without ringing a bell. Cable, who coached Sherman, described the session as practice being a pianist.

"They'll have these bells. So your hand has to be light enough to lift your wallet and not let the bell ring... Like my teacher used to say, 'You have to be a pianist.'" Sherman told NPR.

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