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Tourists stand in front of Buckingham Palace in London - Source: Reuters
Visitors to London always have to be on the look out for pickpockets, but now there is 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 to 20 pound notes is being surreptitiously deposited in unguarded pockets or open handbags in Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and other busy spots.
The initiative, which runs until the end of August in London before being rolled out countrywide, is being funded by a broadband provider, which says it wants to brighten up people's lives in unusual ways.
"It feels good to give something back for a change - and Britons certainly need it in the current economic climate," says 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 about $250,000 given away.
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