Clever bag ‘hack’ stops thieves targeting you while shopping for Christmas gifts – and it’s so easy
A CLEVER bag “hack” that stops thieves targeting you while shopping for Christmas presents has been revealed – and it’s very easy.
The clever trick which helps protect shoppers from robbers has gone viral on TikTok, as Brits look for new ways to stay safe this busy festive season.
With phone and bag thefts surging authorities are urging residents to stay alert, as thieves’ tactics become increasingly calculated.
Victims carrying visible valuables are often targeted from behind while distracted on their phones.
Almost 80,000 people had their phone or bag robbed in the year leading up to March 2024—more than double the previous year, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
In response, savvy Brits are adopting unconventional methods to protect their belongings.
This involves concealing expensive items in everyday shopping bags.
One shopper even hid her £30,000 Hermès Birkin bag inside a Waitrose carrier bag.
Jennifer Lassiter, a London resident, said she uses a nondescript backpack to carry Apple Store purchases, which she added helps her blend in with the crowd.
For Sophie Hail, this new hack comes at a very good time after she was mugged outside Selfridges last year.
She said: “Last year, I had expensive purchases in a bright yellow bag that practically flashed at thieves.
“A few were snatched right off me. This year, I’m using plain plastic bags from Aldi, Asda, and Sainsbury’s to keep my shopping low-profile.”
She added: “Nothing’s been snatched from me this year. No one looks twice at a Tesco bag.
“Now even my friends are following suit-it’s just not worth he risk flaunting expensive bags on London’s streets.”
This comes as London’s Mayor and the Metropolitan Police ramp up patrols and operations to address a sharp rise in theft across London.
There was a 15 per cent rise in thefts over the past year, with the capital seeing almost 200 thefts take place a day.
Crime around Christmas
Figures reported by the Standard in December 2023 show:
- The biggest hike in burglaries over the Christmas period are recorded in the London boroughs of Bexley and Redbridge, new figures have shown.
- Across the year, London’s average burglary rate was 8.68 crimes per 10,000 residents per month.
- Between November and January, that figure jumped by 21 per cent to 10.34 per 10,000 residents.
- Bexley, Redbridge and Havering registered a 55, 54, 43 per cent increase in burglaries within the Christmas period respectively, in comparison to the rest of the year.
- Fifteen other boroughs had fewer than ten reported burglaries per 10,000 residents, with Newham recording the lowest number at 7.91.
- Lambeth saw a four per cent drop in the number of burglaries during the Christmas period, compared with February to October.
The rate is the highest for over a decade, Home Office statistics revealed, with overall thefts from a person increasing by more than a third.
A crackdown was announced earlier this year by the Government, and the Home Office said it would work with tech firms to find ways to tackle the crime.
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “The Government is determined to do whatever’s necessary to protect people entitled to walk the streets without the threat of robbery.
“Phone companies must ensure any stolen phones can be quickly, easily and permanently disabled, rather than re-registered for sale.”
“If we work together, Government, tech companies and law enforcement can break the business model of the phone thieves and moped gangs who rely on this trade.”
The Met Police has advised shoppers to stay cautious, keep phones out of sight, avoid unnecessary distractions, and use unbranded or plain bags to carry valuables.
Higher caution should be taken in high-traffic areas like shopping centres, Tube stations, and concert venues, where thieves on e-bikes or mopeds often target unsuspecting victims.
How to protect yourself from street robbery
Here, the Met Police provides some useful ways to keep you and your property safe on the street.
- Look confident. You are less likely to be targeted if you look confident. Move with purpose and try to be aware of your surroundings.
- Plan your route and think about what to take with you, especially if you’re going somewhere you haven’t been before.
- Keep to busy, well-lit streets, walkways and paths which are more likely to be covered by CCTV.
- Only take licensed taxis or minicabs booked by phone or a mobile phone app.
- Keep your mobile phone and valuables out of sight.
- If you’re using your phone it’s more likely to be snatched from your hand as you’re not paying attention to your surroundings, so look around you.
- Never leave a mobile, any other device, wallet or purse on the table of an outdoor café, pub or restaurant.
- Same goes for any jewellery you might be wearing – keep it covered when walking down the street.