① Pickpocketing in London, even celebs fell victim
London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is a city where various histories coexist, preserving 2,000 years of history. London has its own unique culture, attractions, and food, where the past and the present coexist.
Big Ben, the iconic giant clock tower symbolizing the UK, is a popular tourist spot visited by about 12,000 tourists every year. London is beautiful during the day, but it becomes even more beautiful at night when illuminated by lights.
London’s symbol, Tower Bridge, the large Ferris wheel, the London Eye located on the banks of the Thames, and Buckingham Palace, a British royal building, are also beautiful tourist spots.
Many tourists visit these beautiful landmarks in London, only to experience not-so-beautiful incidents.
These incidents, particularly pickpocketing, frequently occur in crowded tourist spots.
In London, a mobile phone is reportedly stolen every six minutes. However, it is extremely rare for the culprit to be caught and prosecuted.
In 2022, beauty YouTuber Leo J was pickpocketed in London. Leo J posted a picture on Instagram with the caption, “I had my phone pickpocketed in London. I was devastated to lose my phone while on a business trip to London, but I’m working hard to recover it”.
Once you’re pickpocketed in London, you should be grateful if you can recover your phone, let alone find it. Some advise that it’s better to forget the phone and focus on the rest of the trip.
Pickpocketing in London has been a known issue, but it continues to occur openly. There are calls for the police to work harder to reduce this notorious theft crime.
② Places to be particularly cautious
Think about cafes in Korea. Many people leave their mobile phones or laptops on the table even when they leave their seats for a while, not worrying about someone taking them.
However, when you think of London as Korea, you become a target for pickpockets. It’s not hard to find Koreans who had their phones stolen in London moments after letting their guard down.
No place in London can be considered safe. A few places are known for a higher occurrence of pickpocketing than others, where you should be particularly cautious.
Firstly, the Central Line, one of London’s subway lines, has the highest rate of pickpocketing.
Last year alone, approximately 2,000 pickpocketing incidents were reported on the Central Line.
This is more than double the 776 cases reported on the Metropolitan Line, which is the safest line.
There are also hazardous areas in London. The area with the highest number of pickpocketing incidents is ‘Westminster.’ Last year, over 20,000 pickpocketing reports were filed in Westminster alone.
Camden and Southwark, known as the second and third most dangerous areas for pickpocketing, received 5,300 and 4,200 reports, respectively. Compared to these areas, Westminster is particularly notorious for pickpocketing.
While you should be particularly cautious in these high-risk lines or areas, any crowded place can become a danger zone.
The British Transport Police warned, “The risk of pickpocketing is higher in crowded places” and “Tourists are easy targets for pickpockets.”
③ Victims don’t expect help from the police
When pickpocketed in London, people often contact the police not to catch the thief but for another reason. They reach the police to get a report number for insurance claims.
Perhaps it’s because the advice not to expect the police to find your stolen phone in London is widely spread. People do report to the police, but they don’t even expect to see their phones.
Only 4.4% of all theft crimes in the UK were prosecuted in the year leading up to last March. In 73.7% of closed theft cases, no suspect was identified.
In August, according to a BBC report, Suela Braveman, the UK’s Home Secretary, stated that there is no such thing as a minor crime and that all theft crimes should be investigated.
Having heard too many complaints from victims, she emphasized that neither the case is resolved nor the reporters expect it to be, raising awareness of the situation.
The Home Office and the police have had meetings regarding this issue, and new guidelines for theft crimes are expected to be released soon.
While the number of pickpocketing incidents in London may not decrease dramatically shortly, we hope for a change where victims can at least expect some help from the police soon.
By. Han Mia
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