Londoners warned: thieves want your Christmas presents!

Londoners who have received new electronic gadgets for Christmas are being advised to take simple steps to protect them from opportunist thieves.

Many devices are worth hundreds of pounds and not only contain personal information, but may have photographs of sentimental value that cannot be easily replaced.

The Metropolitan Police Service has seen a reduction of 33.7 % in mobile phone crime over the last year and continues to carry out enforcement operations and preventative work with partners and industry to further drive down offending. This has seen reductions in theft from the person of 42.8% and 41.5% in personal robbery.

However, traditionally police see a spike in figures at the end of December into January as people carry around with them new devices, making them targets for robbers who want to get their hands on the latest gadgets.

Excluding mobile phones, more than 33,000 items of electrical goods were reported as stolen to the MPS last year through residential burglaries, theft from vehicles and persons.

The warning comes as many people will be flocking to London to make the most of the sales and to enjoy the New Year’s Eve festivities.

The vast majority of mobile thefts occur in bars, pubs or clubs (30%) or on public transport (38%), with thieves also striking at places of work (19%), in the street (6%) and elsewhere (8%).

Thieves target women slightly more than men, with 56% of all victims of mobile thefts being female, while people aged 20 to 24 years are preyed on more than any other age group.

Forty per cent of offences occur as a result of mobile phones being left in unattended property, 34% are snatched by pick pockets, 11% are stolen during burglaries, 10% in robberies and five per cent from vehicles.