An anti-pickpocket team operated by Amsterdam police has made 750 arrests so far this year in the centre of the city, but may be disbanded for lack of staff, the Telegraaf reported on Tuesday.

The 11 members of the plainclothes team, who also target drug dealers and muggers, pretend to be ‘relaxed’ tourists and so become an attractive prey, the paper said.

Yet despite the team’s success rate, a lack of staff may put an end to their activities, a police source told the paper.

‘It would be a great shame if the team were to be disbanded. It is of crucial importance to the safety in the city centre,’ the team leader said. ‘We catch a lot of people in the act. We are the eyes and ears in the street and we are collecting a lot of very useful information.’