The German Market will return once again this year. (Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)

Phone theft warning to everyone going to Birmingham city centre before Christmas

Exclusive data shows how thefts typically rise in the winter months running up to Christmas

04 Oct 2024, 03:00 by Richard Guttridge, https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/authors/richard-guttridge/ · Birmingham Live

People heading into Birmingham city centre over the next few weeks in the run-up to Christmas have been warned to be aware of the risk of their phone being stolen. Exclusive figures obtained by BirminghamLive show phone thefts typically rise in the winter months.

It means people are likely to be more at risk over the coming weeks as crowds flock into Birmingham for the German Christmas Market, festive shopping and work celebrations. On average, there are between 400 and 450 phones nicked in the West Midlands every month, with many of these happening in Birmingham city centre.

But these figures tend to rise towards the end of the year. More people coming into the city centre and darker evenings provide the perfect opportunity for thieves to strike.

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Last year, October was the worst month for offences with 515 devices stolen. Totals remained higher than average through to January. Numbers have been much lower this summer.

West Midlands phone thefts by month

2023

January - 424
February - 444
March - 483
April - 446
May - 435
June - 455
July - 481
August - 418
September - 446
October - 515
November - 487
December - 449

2024

January - 480
February - 443
March - 413
April - 407
May - 418
June - 379
July - 386
August - 342

It comes after we revealed the city centre streets where phones were most likely to be robbed. Birmingham's famous Broad Street was top of the list with over 400 confirmed offences in just over 18 months.

High Street and Hurst Street, in the Gay Village, were two other hotspots, showing busy areas filled with drinkers and shoppers are where criminals are most likely to strike. Details were released by West Midlands Police following a freedom of information request.

Rising phone thefts over recent years have prompted warnings to be extra vigilant when walking around in public, especially in busy areas like Birmingham city centre where attacks are more likely. These warnings will only be stepped up in the coming weeks with the arrival of the Christmas Market and the festive rush.