Overview
- Regional president Luca Zaia outlined electronic ankle or armband trackers with geofencing for repeat pickpockets in Venice to trigger alarms and enable real-time police intervention.
- He also called for stadium-style expulsion orders for unruly visitors in busy historic areas across the Veneto region.
- Zaia framed the push as protecting visitors and merchants, saying tourists should not have to fear walking the city.
- The fate of the measures is uncertain, with Padua tourism councillor Andrea Colasio favoring fines and calling entry bans excessive.
- Local reporting cites about 120 pickpocket arrests this summer in hotspots such as St. Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge, with organized networks often using minors complicating prosecution.