Pickpocketing
:
This article is about the crime. For the Robert Bresson film, see Pickpocket (film)''.
Picking pockets is a
crime, a form of
larceny which involves the stealing of
money and valuables from the person of a victim without their noticing the theft at the time. It requires considerable
dexterity and a knack for
misdirection. Someone who picks pockets is known as a
pickpocket.
Pickpockets and other
thieves, especially those working in teams, sometimes apply
distraction, such as asking a question, bumping into the victim, or deliberately dirtying the victim's clothing and then "helping" him/her to clean it.
The crime used to be
punishable by death – even though public hangings were considered prime targets for pickpockets.
William Shakespeare referenced this in hisplay
The Winter's Tale, where the rogue and pickpocket
Autolycus observes,
...
every lane's end, every shop, church, session,hanging, yields a careful man work.Famous fictional pickpockets include
The Artful Dodger and
Fagin. Famous true-life pickpockets include the Irish-American prostitute
Chicago May, who was profiled in the book "Hell Hath No Fury: Famous Women in Crime" (Betty Nygaard King, Borealis Press, 2001).
Pickpocket skills are also used by
magicians, either to take an item from a spectator or to return it without their knowledge.
*
Sleight of hand*
Howstuffworks.com - Pickpocketing* You can see a video of a pickpocket entertainer
here
