A 91-year-old woman on a meagre pension was caught shoplifting from a department store, but Italian police officers called to the scene of the crime paid for the item she tried to steal and gave her a ride back home.

The pensioner, who had snatched a bottle of perfume, told officers in the north-western Roman neighbourhood of Balduina that she could “barely survive” on her pension, and had no money to pay for the item.

“Officers did not have to think long about what to do, and themselves offered the missing sum.

“The manager of the department store did not report the crime, so the officers were able to take home the elderly woman,” a Rome police statement said.

It added that the incident took place on Thursday.

Last year, another act of compassion from Rome’s police attracted international media coverage.

In August, a unit was called to a flat from where crying could be heard.

It turned out that they came from an elderly couple who felt sad and lonely after hearing upsetting news on television, and they were comforted by officers who sat down with them and cooked them a plate of pasta.