Mobile phone theft on the rise in Doncaster worth £220,455 last year

According to data, there were a total of 621 phone thefts recorded in Doncaster last year, up 18 per cent since 2021.

This follows a recent slump which saw phone theft figures tumble to a five-year low in 2020 with just 515 incidents.

The latest 2022 data shows that: • £220,455 worth of phones were stolen in Doncaster; • On average, 1.7 phones were stolen in Doncaster every day; • 1 in 183 Doncaster residents had a phone stolen in 2022.

As you might expect, phone theft is on the rise across the UK. There were a total of 135,147 phone thefts across the United Kingdom in 2022. The value of stolen handsets totalled over £47 million.

UK-wide figures hit a low in 2020 but have been rising ever since – surging dramatically in 2022 with a 35.9 per cent increase last year alone. It’s not surprising then, to see these increases echoed in cities across the country.

Here are the 10 worst hit cities in 2022 across England and Wales: 1 London, 2 Manchester, 3 Doncaster, 4 Liverpool, 5 Newcastle, 6 Nottingham, 7 Preston, 8 Salford, 9 Birmingham, 10 Sheffield.

England saw a massive £47.3 million worth of phones stolen in 2022 – far more than other nations. Northern Ireland’s stolen phones totalled £356,065 while Welsh stolen phones totalled just £241,400.

The UK’s phone theft rates tell a similar story. England saw 2.81 thefts per thousand people – that’s at least 365 phones stolen every single day. Northern Ireland saw 0.53 thefts per thousand people – equivalent to 2.7 phones stolen every day. Wales saw just 0.2 phone thefts per thousand people – equivalent to just 1.8 phones stolen each day.

Ryan Leston, Founder of Get Phone Repairs said: “Police forces all over the country are backing local initiatives to tackle this rising crime, but the best way to avoid being part of our stats is to take preventative measures. Avoid using your mobile in crowded areas and you’ll stand a much better chance of hanging onto it. Thieves are far more likely to target people they know have high-end devices. So, keep your smartphone out of sight.”