Gypsy child crime wave grips Europe
Updated
Living in slums: many Gypsy children grow up in homes with no running water or official power sources. (AFP: Max Rossi)
One of Romania's most powerful criminals has warned his country must do something to stop the wave of Gypsy child crime that is sweeping Europe or face a backlash against Romanians.
Simply known as Breliant, he freely boasts a pedigree rich in thieves. But this week on Four Corners he explains that unless gangs run by his countrymen stop using children to rob and steal, the Romanian Gypsies will be driven out of other EU countries.
"Over the last 20 years I've seen the anti-Gypsy feeling getting stronger, not only in Romania but across Europe," he said.
"I've also seen Gypsy petty crime turn into serious crime, into international organised crime."
Any tourist in Europe knows the threat of street crime is a major problem. Some people are targeted by pickpockets while others are harassed at cash teller machines.
Most of the thieves are young children below the age of 14. In many countries they cannot be held criminally responsible until they pass 14 years.
Lucrative
One of the children spoken to by Four Corners is 13-year-old Daniela.
She has little or no education but pickpocketing in Madrid can earn her up to $500 for a successful robbery. If she gets away with her scam she takes the money to her mother. It is used to buy food and some of it is repatriated to Romania to buy a house.
This week's Four Corners reveals that while some children steal to survive, many are part of a network of organised groups that rob tourists and locals, passing the money back to crime bosses in Romania.
The wave of crime perpetrated by Gypsy children began in earnest when Romania was admitted to the EU.
It is now so bad that authorities in the major Italian city of Milan have declared a state of emergency. The city officials authorised police to set up an undercover operation that used hidden cameras and telephone taps to arrest dozens of people.
In all, 19 adults were jailed for theft and the abuse of children. The investigation found some children were generating up to $15,000 to $20,000 a month from their criminal activities.
That did not mean the children were well-treated. In one raid, police broke into a farmhouse and found children locked in a cupboard. They were unwashed and malnourished.
