New research, released last week by insurer LV=, has revealed that three ’personal’ thefts occur every minute in Britain.

A personal theft was classed as a theft, either violent or non-violent, which occurred outwith the home and includes the theft of a bag or pickpocketing. The survey estimates that 1.8 million Britons experienced this type of crime, with the majority of UK constabularies reporting that the number of personal thefts increased by 7% in 2013 over the figures available for 2012.

The rise in bag theft and pickpocketing can, according to LV=, be partly attributed to the increasing value of a handbag and its contents, with the average person now carrying around £316 worth of goods. The average bag is now usually filled with small, but expensive gadgets, such as mobile phones, MP3 players, e-readers and tablets, all of which can easily be stolen and sold on.

Official Police figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show that the instances of pickpocketing, mugging and theft from a person all increased in 2013 compared with 2012 (by 10%, 6% and 5% respectively), while household robbery  fell by 8%.

Analysis of Police data reveals that the majority of theft from a person happens in broad daylight and incidents are most likely to take place on Saturdays, between the hours of midday and 3pm, with one in five (20%) of all thefts from a person taking place during these three hours. Saturday night when the pubs close is the second most common time, with 17% of thefts taking place between 11pm on Saturdays and 2am on Sundays.

According to the research, many thefts take place when the victim is easily distracted. One in six (16%) victims were targeted in bars and pubs, one in seven (14%) fell victim to theft while on public transport and a similar number (13%) were targeted while walking along the street.

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