Professional thieves targeting Leicester's bars and clubs to steal mobile phones

Gangs of professional thieves are trawling bars and nightclubs to steal mobile phones, police have warned.

Officers have launched an operation to track down the thieves and have urged people to keep their handsets safe during nights out in the city centre.

In the four months between September and December, 73 phones were stolen from city centre venues, chiefly late on Friday and Saturday nights.

Police believe professional thieves are responsible for most of the crimes - in some cases by picking their victims' pockets on crowded dance floors.

Recently police stopped a suspect and found 15 stolen phones in his possession.

Inspector Simon Preston said: 'I don't think this is opportunism - these are people who are deliberately going into bars and nightclubs to steal phones.

'They are there, they are sober and they are looking for any opportunity - and people need to be switched on to this.

'It only takes a second for these criminals to do what they do.'

Pc Tejas Mavani, who works with bars and clubs to promote safety and crime prevention, said: 'Licensees are acutely aware that phones are being stolen from their premises and they are doing all they can to prevent these thefts.

'Some have private security in plain clothes going out and about looking for people behaving suspiciously.

'Others have printed warnings on tickets for their events that people need to keep their phones secure, but members of the public can take steps to keep their phones and other valuables safe, too.'

The message was echoed by bar owners and security staff.

One bar manager said: 'We know that there are people coming to the city at night and their only intention is to steal.

'It's almost always phones, but they'll also go for purses.

'If they see an unattended bag or coat they'll go through them to see what they can find.

'We've told all of our staff to keep their eyes open for any suspicious characters - people who never seem to buy drinks and just seem to be hanging around, checking people out.'

Kyle Carter, 21, a Leicster student, said: 'My friend is at college in Manchester and he's had two phones stolen in clubs up there.

'It's the same everywhere, there are thieves about and you have to be sensible with valuable things such as phones and make sure you don't give thieves a chance.'

Karen Monroe, 26, a city beautician, said: 'I have my phone on the go all night to take pictures, send texts and tweets, but I make sure it's never out of my sight.

'You see people leaving all kinds of things lying around while they go for a dance or nip to the bar. I've never had anything stolen, but I think that's because I'm so careful.'

Police urged people to download GPS tracking programmes for their phones.

The technology enables police to trace the exact location of stolen handsets.

Crime-prevention advice is also available on the Safer Leicester Partnership website:

http://ift.tt/1e4m9nn