PAWTUCKET –– It’s a crime so despicable the police are shaking their heads.

As women have visited St. Francis Cemetery, placing flowers on graves, saying prayers or paying their respects, a sneak thief has gotten into their unlocked cars and stolen their pocketbooks.

Detective Lt. Daniel P. Mullen said there have been three such thefts: on June 15, June 22 and July 3.

No one was hurt in any of the incidents: There was never any contact between the sneak thief and the victim, Mullen said.

But the victims have been traumatized. And the thief’s modus operandi — taking advantage of people in meditation or mourning — has provoked feelings of outrage and contempt.

Pawtucket City Councilor John J. Barry III, put it this way:

“I think anybody that preys on people that are at a cemetery or at a loved one’s grave is despicable.”

Besides being a City Council member, Barry is secretary for social ministry of the Diocese of Providence.

The diocese owns St. Francis Cemetery, a landscaped, hilly burial ground between Route 95 and Smithfield Avenue.

While the thefts might have been committed for drug money, Barry acknowledged, they might also be a result of the deteriorating economy, which has left a lot of people in desperate straits, he said.

“I don’t think any of us realizes how bad the economy is,” he said.

Whatever the motive, Barry said, people visiting the cemetery should protect themselves by taking precautions, such as locking their car doors and not leaving valuables exposed.

Nevertheless, said Barry, “it’s a horrible commentary” on modern society when not even a cemetery can provide a sanctuary from crime.

Michael Guilfoyle, a spokesman for the diocese, said St. Francis Cemetery is the only cemetery in the diocese affected by thefts.

Guilfoyle characterized the thefts as “isolated incidents” and said the cemetery is generally safe.

“Once the cemetery office heard about those incidents, they notified the Pawtucket police,” he said.

The police have a sketchy description of the suspect –– a man with short blond hair who operates out of a light blue van.

Mullen said the police have increased their presence in the area, in the hope of catching the thief before he strikes again.

jcastell@projo.com