Moment 'pickpocket' is pinned down by tourists who accused him of stealing at Venice's Rialto Bridge

This is the moment a 'pickpocket' was pinned down to the ground by furious tourists who rallied together to stop him.

The suspected thief allegedly stole a wallet from an East Asian group on Thursday near the famous Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy. 

Shocking video footage shows two men with the help of other tourists holding down the suspect from either side and restraining him on the ground.

They then turned him over and pinned him to the floor, holding his arms behind his back as one of the dozens of shouting tourists crowding him searched his pockets before police arrived.

The man has reportedly been well-known in the area for years as a pickpocket and has been reported several times.

City councilor and anti pickpocket activist Monica Poli stumbled across the commotion and lifted him from the floor after he asked for help.

She said in the clip: 'We know him, we call the police,' while the men holding him down said one of their wallets was in his bag.

Following the dramatic incident, Ms Poli told Corriere: 'I was nearby, and hearing screams, I rushed over, thinking something had happened.

'As I approached, I saw the pickpocket, who has been reported numerous times for assault, battery, and indecent exposure.

'He was lying motionless on the ground, held down and pinned down by the group of tourists, who implied they held the citizen responsible.'

She added: 'The tourists were telling me they'd been robbed. It wasn't easy to communicate with them, probably Koreans, since they didn't understand English very well. 

'My regret is thinking about how many times I reported that man. I have a newspaper article from ten years ago.

'At the time, he was one of the suspects in a prosecutor's investigation, today I find him in Rialto, it's as if nothing has changed.' 

The suspect was taken in by police, but the wallet was never found. 

Venice, as one of Italy's top tourist attractions, has long been a hotspot for criminal activity targeting unsuspecting holidaymakers.

The scourges has led furious residents to form their own associations to publicise the identities of those caught in the act and work as volunteer informants for police.

Venetian gangs are also increasingly grooming children to work as pickpockets as they seek to prevent police crackdowns from eating into their profits, officials and activists have warned. 

A slew of videos published on social media shows alleged pickpockets attempting to cover their faces as enraged citizens yell to draw attention to them.

Officials warn that legal loopholes already allow adult pickpockets to operate with little concern for law enforcement.

Last year, an irate US tourist in Venice grabbed a teenage 'pickpocket' by the ponytail and vowed not to let her get away.

Footage of the incident, which took place in the Santa Maria del Giglio area, shows the furious American gripping the 14-year-old's hair before leading her out of a crowd of onlookers.

Local reports said the holidaymaker had spotted the teen sneaking her purse, which contained her passport, into her bag before she instinctively grabbed her ponytail.

But as the young girl struggled and screamed at the angry tourist, she held on tight telling her: 'You stole my purse with my passport in it.

'You are not getting away. I'm not stopping kid. You are not getting away.'

When her alleged accomplice threatened to call the police, the tourist said: 'Let's get the police and maybe I'll get my passport back.'

Local media claims she battered her way free by repeatedly striking the head of the older tourist with a phone and left her with a heavily bleeding wound which required medical attention from paramedics.

The two young suspects were taken to the local station and charged with theft before being released on bail.