Exclusive | Cops blare warning of sticky finger thieves in jam-packed NYC areas

The NYPD positioned an electronic billboard truck in front of Radio City Music Hall on Sixth Avenue in Midtown Friday night that screamed: “Beware of pickpockets,” photos provided to the The Post show. Pickpocketing is a known problem in crowded tourist areas like Times Square, Bryant Park, and near Rockefeller Center.To deal with the crime, the NYPD even has a dedicated plainclothes “pickpocket unit” that specifically patrols hotspots to catch thieves in the act. The NYPD’s 18th Precinct, which includes Radio City, saw a decline in overall crime so far this year.

And petit larceny, which includes pickpocketing and retail theft, is down 18% — from 3,036 to 2,486 — compared with same period last year, an NYPD spokesman said.The number of robberies, which include force or intimidation, in the precinct have increased by 9% to 248 so far this year, up from 228 at the same point last year, according to NYPD data.But the precinct saw a substantial decrease in the crime during the 28-day period through Dec.

28, the spokesman said.“This is the result of thorough police work and relentless follow-up by personnel from Midtown North precinct,” the spokesman said.Robberies spiked earlier this year due to the large influx of temporary migrant housing in the area and has since mostly recovered, a police source said.Pickpocketing is “easy because, especially as women, we show our things sometimes, instead of keeping it in certain spots,” said Beverly Paterson, 77, patting her chest and adding that “everything is right here, even though I got a backpack.” In response to the Big Apple’s pickpocketing dilemna, the retired teacher originally from Georgia who now lives in the Bronx emphasized caution, especially during the holidays and in the more touristy areas. “This city is very big and you have to be careful about who you meet, where you’re at, and everything,” said Paterson. “I always have something to defend myself with … you see this ...