How safe are your devices? The UK’s gadget theft hotspots revealed

A study we conducted last year revealed that 51 percent of the population would rather go without bathing than give up their mobile phone for a day, while television was more important than pets or snacks.

With the UK feeling so connected to their gadgets and smartphones, gadget insurance provider Protect Your Bubble analysed data obtained by the UK’s police forces to determine where the nation’s gadget theft hotspots are.

Unsurprisingly, reports of stolen gadgets fell significantly in 2020 as people stayed indoors, with only 115,076 mobile phones and other electronic gadgets reported stolen compared to 195,145 in 2019. Interestingly, this reduction continued in 2021, despite lockdown restrictions easing, with an estimated 66,658 mobile phones and 28,719 gadgets stolen last year, a decrease of 17 percent year on year.

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Greater London took the top spot for device thefts with 3,983.2 recorded thefts per 100,000 people.

But, it was mobile phone theft that pushed Greater London into the top spot, with 262,557 phones stolen between 2018 and 2021, beating West Yorkshire by almost 10 times as many thefts (29,192).

London has had a series of moped and e-bike gangs robbing pedestrians of their valuables in recent years, with one thief even revealing the ease with which he steals three phones in 20 seconds, prompting Metropolitan police to release guidance on how to protect yourself and your mobile when in the UK’s capital.

In second place for most recorded gadget and phone thefts in relation to the population was Bedfordshire, with 2,268.2 thefts per 100,000 people. Despite the police serving just 682,311 people in the region – more than 13 times less than top spot Greater London and the fourth smallest population from our study – the eastern county still ranked highly for stolen goods.

Computers were the most stolen gadget in Bedfordshire, with 2,127 computers, laptops and tablets reported stolen, contributing to a total 7,637 stolen gadgets since 2018. Mobile phones were equally desirable for thieves, with 7,843 phones stolen. This comes despite the county boasting of a significant drop in burglaries thanks to crime prevention efforts issued to over 40,000 high-risk homes.

West Yorkshire had the third-highest phone and gadget theft, 2082.8 thefts per 100,000 people. The region is no stranger to reports of high levels of theft, with Leeds crowned the worst city outside of London for phone thefts in 2020, even prompting West Yorkshire police to release guidance on protecting your mobile phone from theft.

Humberside (1394.7) and Northumbria (1313.3) complete the top five regions for most gadget and phone thefts.

At the other end of the scale, Dover was found to be the safest region for thefts, with just 3 items reported stolen in the four-year period, giving a total of 2.7 thefts per 100,000 people.

A surprising result considering Dover was named most dangerous medium-sized town in Kent. However, Dover residents are more likely to experience violence or sexual assault than gadget theft, with 2,884 offences of this nature committed in 2021 alone.

Apple iPhones proved the most desirable brand to thieves for both mobiles and gadgets, with 186,615 phones stolen, more than double that of Samsung mobiles (76,315) while 8,597 Apple gadgets were targeted.