Polmetro to tackle crime on metro lines including in Rome where the dire pickpocket situation has been highlighted by YouTuber Cicalone.

Italy has set up a special police task force to tackle pickpockets in subway stations and trains along metro lines in Rome, Milan and Naples, the interior ministry said on Monday.

The establishment of the Polmetro section of the state police was announced by interior minister Matteo Piantedosi following a security meeting with the mayors, prefects and police commissioners of Rome, Milan and Naples.

The move follows a recent wave of bad press involving tourists being robbed on subways in Rome, as well as violence between rival pickpocket gangs which in some cases has led to the temporary closure of metro stations in the capital.

Oggi pomeriggio al Viminale il ministro dell'Interno, Matteo Piantedosi, ha presieduto una riunione sulla sicurezza nelle aree metropolitane cui hanno partecipato i sindaci, i prefetti e i questori di Roma, Milano e Napoli.

Nell’occasione il ministro ha preannunciato… pic.twitter.com/DZqohLYm1u

— Il Viminale (@Viminale) August 5, 2024

The controversy was fuelled by YouTuber Simone Cicalone whose dramatic videos filmed on the Rome underground this summer see him confront pickpockets, chase them out of metro stations and warn tourists to be careful of their belongings.

Cicalone has gained widespread support on social media from Roman commuters, many of whom credited him with spurring authorities into taking action against rampant pickpocketing on the subway.

Already in July the capital put additional police on the beat in the central Metro A stations most affected by pickpockets, including Repubblica, Termini, Barberini and Flaminio.

The move followed a request by Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri who said: "It is intolerable that taking the subway produces the risk of being pickpocketed".

The stepping up of security on the capital's subways comes as Rome and the Vatican prepare to welcome extra millions of pilgrims and tourists for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.