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– It’s like ‘having a thief in the family’, says the deputy mayor of the small Italian island of Capraia. Like the Guardian reported, he refers to dozens of thefts on the island during the winter, a time when only about 400 residents live there. Unfortunately, the small population also applies to the police department, which has a total of three officers. The crimes appear to be well planned. Recently, the thieves turned off a security camera in a tobacco store and took more than $ 70,000 out of the safe. In another job – perhaps inside – they broke into Deputy Mayor Fabio Mazzei’s house and stole his safe along with hidden gems. “They struck on the right day because they knew I would visit Pisa,” he told a local newspaper. “They knew the house very well.”
The island population usually increases during the summer tourist season, but in this case, the thieves seem to have overturned the usual playbook by chasing local visitors behind locals. One factor: the island’s lonely bank closed last year, forcing people to keep their money at home. Capraia is one of seven islands that make up the Tuscan archipelago, says the New York Times, who last year (in pre-pandemic days) sang the praises of a restored 16th-century fort on the island as a holiday rental. The island is actually closer to the French island of Corsica than the mainland of Italy and is only accessible by boat. Mayor Mardi Bessi says the three officers of the island are doing the best they can. “The risk now is that the sense of community we’ve always had will be damaged,” the mayor said. (Read more stories about Italy.)