With videoing concerts and gigs with mobile phones becoming increasingly common, officers from the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit are warning that organised thieves may be starting to target gigs to pickpocket people.
The unit is working with venues to put up posters warning of the risk and will also be using Bluetooth to send crime prevention messages.
Detective Superintendent Nev Nolan, head of the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit, said: “We want all fans to enjoy their concert and to have a good experience. We are concerned that organised thieves are targeting concerts to steal phones from genuine fans.
“A lot of people like to use their mobile phones to film or take photographs of the concert, but will then return the phone to an insecure bag or pocket, where thieves are able to snatch it.
“When they discover it is gone, many will simply assume it is lost and simply cancel the SIM, without reporting it to the police.
“A lot of people will be getting mobile phones for Christmas and we would urge them to keep them safe and to register their phones with the website Immobilise.com.
“The National Mobile Phone Crime Unit is working hard to arrest those responsible and bring them before the courts.”
