Giving it Back

"Put-pockets" giving back to the community

Yahoo!7 Finance and Reuters

Visitors to London always have to be on the look out for pickpockets, but now there's another, more positive phenomenon on the loose - putpockets.

Aware that people are suffering in the economic crisis, 20 former pickpockets have turned over a new leaf and are now trawling London's tourist sites slipping money back into unsuspecting pockets.

Anything from 5 pounds (A$10) to 20 pound (A$40) notes are being surreptitiously deposited in unguarded pockets or open handbags, along with a small card that explains where the dough came from.

The unique initiative has been in action since July 1st this year across locations in London, including Leicester Square, Oxford Circus, Covent Garden, Westminster, Trafalgar Square and the South Bank.

Signs have also been posted in those areas, advising the public that there may be a few extra pounds in their possession when they arrive home because of it.

The initiative, which runs until the end of August in London before being rolled out countrywide, is being funded by a broadband provider, TalkTalk, which says it wants to brighten up people's lives in unusual ways.

Mark Schmid of TalkTalk said: "Britons have become very sceptical of companies giving money away - so we have turned to Put-Pocketing to give something back. Whilst unconventional, we don't think anyone is going to mind finding a crisp 20 pound note in their pocket."

"It feels good to give something back for a change - and Britons certainly need it in the current economic climate," said Chris Fitch, a former pickpocket who now heads TalkTalk's putpocketing initiative.

"Every time I put money back in someone's pocket, I feel less guilty about the fact I spent many years taking it out."

London's police have been briefed about the plan, which will see at least 100,000 pounds (A$200,000) given away.