Chilean pickpockets have become the most effective thieves operating in central London, according to undercover police teams.

Gangs of up to six follow wealthy shoppers in the West End before stealing their cash and belongings, according to the plain-clothes officers tasked with reducing theft in the area.

In one example Metropolitan Police stopped two Chilean women wearing burkas after they had been spotted targeting rich Arab tourists in the Park Lane and Mayfair areas.

Chilean pickpockets have become the most effective thieves operating in central London, according to undercover police teams

A bag they were carrying contained €130,000 and £20,000 as well as gold and diamond jewellery.

London's busy shopping areas prove a big draw for gangs of pickpockets from around the world including Romania, Algeria and Bulgaria, reports Andy Jones on Vice.

But DC Darren Bond, whose team monitors the Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street areas, explained to the the website that Chilean pickpockets 'don't mess about'.

He is quoted as saying: 'They are intelligence-led – they don't go after anyone but wealthy tourists – and operate in mixed teams of three to six, often middle-aged.

'They will look like a nice family or group of businessmen to fit in. It allows them to walk through hotels unchallenged, sit down and have breakfast, then walk out with bags, laptops, etc. They are so hard to trace.'

Plain clothes police are attempting to drive down pickpocket crimes in busy shopping areas like Oxford Street, pictured

He said many arrive in Britain on a six-month VISA before heading off on a 'European tour' and police are constantly monitoring CCTV to keep tabs on gangs and their recruits.

Organised international gangs of thieves will often spend a short time operating in London before flying to the likes of Madrid, Barcelona and Milan for the same purpose - all as part of moves to avoid detection.

DC Bond, whose squad has seen a 50 per cent reduction in thefts over the last year, told Vice that 'anecdotally' about 70 per cent of arrested pickpockets were Romanians or Bulgarians, ten per cent Algerians and five per cent Chileans with the rest UK-based.