Owners of the latest smartphones have been warned of a rise in thefts of mobile phone in recent years.
Research carried out by insurer LV= reveals that 264 mobile phone robberies are reported to the police each day, up by seven per cent compared to 2011 and by 25 per cent compared to three years ago.
One in six people who have had their phone stolen reported that it was taken from their bag or pocket, while others have seen their devices snatched from their hand during use or were mugged.
Moreover, of the 230,000 street crimes involving the theft of a mobile phone in Britain since 2010, only one per cent of the devices in question were successfully recovered.
John O’Roarke, managing director of LV= home insurance, said: “The latest smartphones are worth hundreds of pounds on the black market and can be easily sold on, making them particularly attractive to opportunistic thieves.”
According to the Mobile Operators Association, more than 90 per cent of UK adults now own a mobile phone, compared to only around 50 per cent back in 2000.
