Pickpocket, What Can You Do Not To Become Their Next Victim?

Tourists flock to the UK to see attractions like Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Oxford Street, and the London Eye. But the flocking of tourists is a catalyst for the flocking of pickpocket gangs. These pickpockets have no morals, and anyone can be a potential target for pickpocketing.

People imagine Eastern European pickpocket gangs, and that is certainly the case. But pickpockets are not always obvious. Their aim is to blend in to get close enough to dip your pocket or bag. The pickpocket will also be dressed tourist like to blend in with the crowds. To give them the opportunity to get up close and personal with their next victim.

What are the signs of a pickpocket

However there are signs that can give a pickpocket away. Normal people and tourists just walk around relaxed, enjoying the sites. Whereas the pickpockets will look more awkward. Rather than taking in the sites, their focus will be on the waist area of potential targets or their bags. Looking for those tourists who look the most vulnerable. Maybe someone who’s clearly not travelled much before. Or who has items hanging out of their pockets, such as a phone in a rear jean pocket. Or someone whose bag is open. Or an exposed zip on a rucksack that isn’t an anti pickpocket bag.

Pickpockets can be bold

The pickpocket isn’t necessarily subtle. Once they’ve identified a target, they can be quite bold in getting on with the dip (the technical term for pickpocketing someone). If timed well with the victim’s stride, or done gently while stopped at a pedestrian crossing, it’s likely the victim would be completely unaware. The pickpockets will often cover their dip with an oversized scarf or umbrella.

What happens if the pickpocket is caught

When a pickpocket is caught, either by the victim or a passer-by, they have no shame. They know that the police are unlikely to act. So are happy just to blend away into the crowds. If you are a victim of pickpocketing, they’re normally happy just to get their items back or to have prevented them being taken in the first place.

What are the Police stats on pickpocketing

Metropolitan Police figures suggest that crime overall in London has not dramatically worsened over the past year. Increasing only 3.5% between September 2023 and September 2024. These stats will astound most UK citizens if media reporting is to be believed. Pickpocketing, however, is soaring in the UK’s capital. The Metropolitan Police doesn’t have a specific category called “pickpocketing”. But a crime called theft from the person, which includes pickpocketing as well as phone-snatching. This has risen by 43.2% in the same period. With 101,159 offences recorded! It should be noted that these figures could be made up largely of the media focussed phone snatch gangs. So it’s hard to understand the true impact of pickpocketing.

This figure accounts only for crimes that victims have reported. The total number of “theft from the person” crime, estimated by the national Crime Survey shows that only four in ten such incidents are reported.

Why are people being targeted

Most people now routinely walk around with thousands of pounds worth of items in our possession. A phone at £1000, laptop at £2000, or Apple ear buds at £200. Expensive watches, bags, jewellery, the list goes on. Very few people will be using an anti pickpocket bag. It’s a pickpockets dream. The rewards are huge from selling on digital devices, such as phones. Most of the items are shipped quickly to China. With the risks being minimal.

What does the Office for National Statistics data show

The Office for National Statistics data shows that the country’s top-ten pickpocket hotspots are all in London. With Westminster, which covers the centre of the capital, being the worst area in the country. The Westminster area has 13,320 reports of pickpocketing per 100,000 people. An extremely high rate. In the safest area of the country for example, North Kesteven in Lincolnshire, the rate is just 3 reports per 100,000. The number of tourists visiting the capital has surged over the past year overtaking pre-covid levels. With many of them carry not just expensive phones but also a lot of cash. Asian tourists are the number one target because they love an expensive gadget! Plus they are unlikely to have an anti pickpocket bag which would at least lower their risk.

What can a pickpocket expect to happen if they are caught

The pickpockets know that if they steal a phone, headphones or laptop without using, or threatening, violence, they’ll probably end up with a community sentence as a maximum. Or realistically a street side caution. That’s assuming they’re arrested and convicted, which is unlikely. Fewer than 6% of thefts result in a suspect being charged!

So what can you do to reduce the likelihood of being the pickpockets next victim

• Try to be more aware of your surroundings, if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t
• Be more cautious in obvious places that pickpockets will operate, such as tourist attractions, on the tube, or at a train station
• Don’t allow yourself to get crowded. Pickpockets will often use this tactic to disorientate you
• Be cautious if someone seems to be chatting to you unnecessarily, it could be a distraction technique
• Don’t hold all of your money in one location. Have the bulk of your money in one pocket, and a smaller amount in another pocket. That way you don’t have to pull out a wad of cash every time you want to make a purchase. Which could make you a target
• Don’t put your mobile phone in your back pocket, this is an obvious target……. a point especially pertinent to the ladies!!
• Buy an anti pickpocket bag with a concealed zip to make it harder to open
• If you don’t want to be a victim, don’t look like a target. Items hanging out of your pockets, obvious displays or wealth, or looking lost, all make you stand out as a potential target
• Be a detective yourself, try to spot someone in a crowd who looks out of place. Are they looking at people rather than attractions, do they appear to be getting too close, or are you being distracted
• Don’t be afraid to shout about it. If you or someone near you is being targeted, shouting pickpocket will make them leave the area. They don’t want to be caught anymore than you want to be a victim

If you or your family are travelling to the UK on holiday, or you are a UK citizen travelling to a new big city destination outside of the UK, get in touch and we’ll provide you with a tailored visit risk management guide.

Contact us today by clicking this link.

Article written by Tom Richmond, Managing Director of Security and Safety Solutions, and developed from an article that first appeared in the Daily Mail.