Don't let pick pockets spoil your Christmas

With Christmas just a few weeks away Warwickshire Police have issued a timely reminder to shoppers to take extra care while out buying gifts and festive goods.

Detective Sergeant Martyn Stephens of the Northern Area Community Safety Unit said, "As the shopping areas become more crowded and busier than usual in the run up to Christmas, and people become pre-occupied with looking for the ideal gift, pick pockets and thieves will be on the look out for easy targets."

The message from the police is to take a few moments to make sure you keep your money and your purchases safe.

1. Always carry your wallet or purse in a safe place in an inside jacket pocket – preferably inside a pocket that can be fastened shut.
2. If your purse is in your handbag, make sure the bag is kept securely fastened and keep your purse tucked well down inside the bag. Keep the bag close to you at all times. If it has a long shoulder strap do not let your bag get pulled away from you in a crowd by carrying the bag tucked under your arm.
3. Never put your handbag on the supermarket trolley, as a thief can easily steal it while you are looking at items on the shelves.
4. Don’t carry more money than you need. Withdraw money from the cash point take in small amounts and return for more when you need it. Ideally you should avoid carrying large sums of money as most shops now accept card transactions to pay for goods.
5. When purchasing goods at the till always take a few moments to put your purse or wallet back in a secure place before leaving the payment point. Do not walk away from the till with your purse still in your hand as you could be an easy target for someone to snatch it from you.
6. Don’t make a gift of your purchases by leaving them on view in your car.
7. If you have made a number of purchases and decide to leave them in the car while you do more shopping you should stow them out of sight in the boot, and you should always leave someone sitting in the car - thieves go looking for presents too, but they don't always go shopping, they are just as likely to break in to your car and steal your purchases.