Glasgow - capital of mobile phone theft

And April is the cruellest month

By Tim Ferguson, 4 April 2007 15:59

NEWS

Glasgow has been named the city with the highest rate of mobile phone theft in the UK.

Around 31 per cent of Glaswegians surveyed have had their mobile phone stolen, according to research from card and mobile protection company CPP.

The research found most phone thefts took place in the evening, with one in five people saying they had their phone stolen at a Glasgow nightspot.

The most likely location to suffer mobile theft is in a pub, where 22 per cent of those surveyed had their phone nicked, followed by clubs (15 per cent) and the workplace (10 per cent).

Belfast and Liverpool were hot on Glasgow's heels: 29 per cent of survey respondents from the two cities said they had been a victim of theft. London came fifth on the list, with 24 per cent.

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By contrast, Aberdeen and Norwich are the safest towns to own a mobile phone, having the fewest reported thefts.

The most common months for Glaswegians to suffer mobile theft are April and August, according to the survey.

John Walkley, head of mobile phone security at CPP Phonesafe, said this is partly due to the release of new handsets every quarter, meaning people are more likely to show them off, catching the attention of thieves.

Walkley added it's vital to always be on guard for opportunists, especially when talking on the phone in the street or having it on show in a pub or club.

The online poll surveyed 3,500 people.

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