Sheffield Top UK City for Mobile Phone Theft

Nearly three million Brits have fallen victim to phone theft, with Sheffield topping the leage table for thefts, reports insurance company, CPP. The findings also reveal the ways in which fearless phone thieves are targeting their victims. A quarter found they had been pick-pocketed, a fifth had their phone nabbed from a restaurant or pub table, while an unfortunate one in ten were mugged. Shockingly, one in twenty even had their phones stolen by crafty colleagues at work.

Tuesday afternoons are the most likely time for handsets to be pinched with other peak times including Monday mornings, Wednesday afternoons and Saturday nights.

But many phone users are not doing themselves any favours as nearly a quarter admit their own carelessness was the reason for their phone getting pinched. In fact a negligent one in five even managed to have their mobiles stolen more than once. Expensive handsets were also blamed by 15 per cent for the reason they were stolen.

And despite some phones such as iPhones and Blackberries costing hundreds of pounds and the ease in which stolen mobiles can be resold, the research reveals that the majority of Brits don't bother to take out adequate protection. Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) have no mobile phone insurance at all - particularly concerning given that the vast majority (84 per cent) never get their handset back if lost or stolen.

Furthermore on average it takes six hours for mobile phones to be reported missing putting the victims at risk from unauthorised airtime abuse.

Danny Harrison, Head of Mobile at CPP said: "Mobile phones are an integral part of our day-to-day lives, and for many, we would be lost without them. With new handsets regularly hitting the market and costing hundreds of pounds, it's no wonder that thieves are looking to target them especially with the increasing amount of personal and sensitive information held on them to access social networking sites and mobile banking services.

"With Home Office figures suggesting that a staggering 228 mobiles are stolen every hour in the UK , mobile users need to remember that phone thieves will stop at nothing to get their hands on the latest handsets. We urge all mobile owners to keep their handsets safe when going out to prevent theft and to also avoid being careless and losing them unnecessarily."

Worst UK cities for Mobile Phone Theft

Rank	City	Percentage of people who have fallen victim
1	Sheffield	11 per cent
2	Edinburgh	9 per cent
3	London	8 per cent
4	Liverpool	6 per cent
5	Cardiff	6 per cent