Undercover officers are watching for pickpocketers preying on unsuspecting commuters and tourists as part of a specialized unit in the NYPD.

“What my guys are looking for is the people who you think are blending in, but we know that they’re here to victimize our ridership,” James Soares, executive officer of the NYPD Transit Bureau’s special operation division, said.

Undercover officers with the department’s pickpocketing unit focus on the subway and large events, where sticky-fingered thieves find their opportunities to swipe cash, credit cards and cellphones.

Before these plainclothes officers hit the station and disappear into the crowd, they got this briefing from John Pritchard, sergeant in the NYPD Transit Bureau’s special operations division: “The things we look for most is just suspicious activity, particularly in the train station if you have someone on the platform that’s missing multiple trains, appears to be canvassing the platform, maybe staring down at people’s wallets or their pockets, pocket books things like that.”

This year through July 9, there were 559 grand larcenies in the subway — five fewer cases than in the same period last year. But it’s nearly 30% down compared to 2019.

Grand larceny arrests are up with 188 this year, nearly 25% more compared to the same period last year.

Kendra Hunter, visiting from Ohio, said she appreciates the undercover operation, and tries to keep her possessions safe, too.

“You just kind of have to watch what you have going on, and make sure that there’s no suspicious characters if you will,” Hunter said. “I don’t really like to wear big bags.”

The same goes for many New Yorkers.

“Any type of purse I have on, I always hold it tight to me,” commuter Kayla Salmon said.

“Never happened to me. I’m just aware of my surroundings. Keep my stuff closed, zipped up, in hand at all times,” commuter Dani Letsche said.

Although there were no arrests made while NY1 watched the undercover officers on patrol, dispatching plainclothes officers is a strategy. This helps this unit watch crowds more carefully.

“With us being in the background, people really aren’t paying attention to us,” Pritchard said. “So, we’re able to focus more on the pickpockets, while the pickpockets may be focusing more on the uniformed officers.”