THIS may be the busiest time of year for pickpockets and for the police who fight personal thefts over the holidays from Christmas and New Year's to the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The Hangzhou Pubic Security Bureau has a 50-person plainclothes squad dedicated to fighting pickpockets who look for targets in shopping malls, on buses and transport stops and just about any crowded place.

Police recently arrested around 25 pickpockets, and the numbers are higher than usual, says Feng Wenxing, director of the squad.

Feng has been nabbing thieves since 1979 and has caught more than 4,000, including many pickpockets. He spends most of his time on buses and in shopping malls where pickpockets are busy.

The pickpocket squad was started in 2009, when various anti-theft squads were brought together. They work against all kinds of thefts, except burglaries, anywhere in the city.

There's also a team of volunteers who are on the lookout for pickpockets around the city, on transport, busy streets, in department stores, shopping areas and hospitals.

Catching a thief sounds heroic, but it takes skill and patience; it can be risky.

Shanghai Daily meets some policemen on the pickpocket patrol and hears their stories.

Skills and spirit

These crime fighters work in small groups, all plainclothes, the plainer the better. They scan everyone in a given area, wait patiently, spot a suspect and then wait until they reach out a hand.

"We detect pickpockets through their expressions and behavior," says Shao Bo who has been nabbing cutpurses since the 1980s. "For example, on buses most people look out of the window, but two kinds of people look at other passengers - the pickpockets and police like me."

A thief can only be caught when he or she physically handles the property of another person, with obvious intent to steal.

The police are witnesses and the stolen property is evidence. By law, pickpockets can be jailed for at least five months.

Carrying out an arrest can be difficult, since police must act as soon as the theft occurs - and before the thief escapes.

"The best way to keep pickpockets from escaping is not to give them any chance to run," Shao says. "Grabbing the belt, holding the suspect around the chest and shutting the door all work," he says.

Everyone on the pickpocket squad has received martial arts training, including a few female police. But some thieves are strong.

"Everyone on the squad has been hurt in the course of duty," Shao says. "Many hurt their wrists when grappling with thieves, some twist their ankles during a chase and occasionally a thief attacks us."

One morning last summer a squad member was going to work, not wearing a uniform. He spotted a pickpocket stealing a cellphone from a woman's coat pocket and stopped the theft, holding up his badge. But six people in the theft ring encircled him and hit his head with a brick. The wound required seven stitches and the officer was back at work as soon as he left the hospital.

Policemen have also been threatened. "I've been warned by many people many times that I would be killed someday," squad leader Feng says.

Once Feng was eating at a noodle restaurant when he ran into a pickpocket who recognized him and threw a bowl of boiling-hot noodles in his face. Feng dodged.

"We do the righteous thing, and we don't have to be afraid of them," Feng says.

Sometimes pickpockets turn righteous.

One habitual thief was detained a dozen time. The last time he was caught, Feng asked him if he had financial problems, saying the police could help. The man had money problems, the police set up a collection, giving him thousands of yuan so he could set up a small business.

Alert and aware

Today the man has given up picking pockets and now runs a small fashion store. He has repaid his loan from the police.

Police worry that thieves are very skillful and citizens are not sufficiently alert. "Mostly, people don't realize they were robbed, even after we tell them," says Feng.

Once, Feng witnessed two familiar pickpockets getting off a bus and counting money. His partners immediately arrested the two, then Feng got on the bus, showed his badge and asked anyone whether they had lost property.

People started checking, yet no one said they had been robbed. Feng asked everybody to stand up, and an old man's wallet fell to the ground. The thief had sliced the pocket open, withdrawn money from the wallet but left the wallet, so it fell out of the torn pocket when the man stood up.

"Pickpockets are crafty, and the most important thing is to be alert and aware of people around you," Shao says.

How to keep yourself safe
Pickpockets are crafty and police advise on how to be alert to their tricks. The most dangerous places are crowded ones, busy streets, intersections, markets, long queues, bus and subway stops.
If you are on a bus and realize you have been robbed, tell the driver and make sure the doors are not opened. Call the police.

1 Long tweezers
Pickpockets' tweezers are around 30 centimeters long, with rubber inside the ends and outside so they grab better. Tweezers are used to remove items from pockets and bags.
Tip: Zip up your bag and keep an eye on the zipper. Keep nothing of value in your pockets.

2 Razor blaze and small knife
Pickpockets use a small knife, box-cutter or razor blade wrapped with adhesive, leaving a very small slice of blade.
Tip: Always close and watch your bag. If you are on a bus or subway, be aware of people sitting next to you. Someone may cut your left coat or trousers pocket. If you are walking or standing, make sure your valuables are in your bag and you hold it in front of you. Men should not place their wallets where they can be reached easily. In a bag or an inside front jacket pocket is better than in trousers.

3 Toothpick
A toothpick is used to break bag zippers so a pickpocket can slip his hand or tweezers into the bag.
Tip: Make sure you hold your bag in front of you.

4 Holding legs
If you are on a bus or subway someone may claim he or she has lost keys, glasses or another item. Then the person squats and looks for it around your feet and may hold your ankle. Be careful of any jewellery because another thief may try to cut off a necklace or bracelet while you are distracted and looking down.
Tip: Be mindful of jewellery; best not to wear on public transport or in crowded places. Don't look down or help another person search.

5 Bare-handed
Pickpockets may be so skilled that they simply slip their fingers into a pocket or bag; sometimes they can make the middle finger as short as the index finger so there's little sensation.
Tip: See the tips above. Be careful.