Neighbors capture a pickpocket on the streets of Santiago de Cuba.

Neighbors of Santiago de Cuba captured a pickpocket this Friday who tried to steal on a busy street in the city.

The incident, which occurred in the last few hours, quickly went viral on social media, where the public was urged to identify the alleged thief.

The images of the man's arrest, published by local reporter Yosmany Mayeta on Facebook, show a crowd surrounding two police officers who were escorting the handcuffed detainee, while they shouted insults at him.

The incident was documented by several witnesses, who recorded the face of the alleged thief.

These types of actions have become an effective tool to identify and report criminals in Cuba, in the serious context of violence affecting the country.

Cubans have had to take the capture of criminals into their own hands due to police inefficiency.

Similar incidents have been reported in recent weeks in various cities across the country, reflecting an increasing climate of insecurity and violence.

In Havana, for example, a man was detained by another crowd on Thursday after stealing an elderly woman's cellphone; while in Holguín, a family was assaulted inside their own home by three armed men.