Nearly 25, 000 laptops, phones and tablets stolen in South Yorkshire over three years

South Yorkshire is ranked third on a list of the most tech crime hit areas in the UK with 24, 848 incidents of theft of electronic devices devices between 2015 and 2017.

The figures were revealed through a Freedom of Information request and the area was topped only by the West Midlands with more than 37, 000 incidents and Greater Manchester with over 63, 000 reported tech crimes.

A high-profile case in Sheffield during the three-year period the figures focus on saw thieves steal a laptop from a disabled teenager in November 2016.

The device was pinched from inside a swimming pool locker at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.

The figures were published by mobile phone insurers Insurance2go and the company said it is important to ensure devices are covered in case of theft.

Gary Beeston, sales and marketing manager at Insurance2go, said: “We spend a lot of money on our mobile phones, tablets and laptops, and usually take them with us wherever we travel.

"However, it’s easy to forget that our favourite devices can also attract the unwanted attention of others."

Nationwide, there was a staggering 247, 869 mobile phone, tablet and laptop thefts reported in a three-year period.

The majority of items stolen were mobile phones which made up 68 per cent of all reported incidents.

However, overall the amount of stolen tech has reduced by 11 per cent from 88,163 in 2015 to 78, 459 in 2017.

The data was based on figures provided by 23 different police forces who responded to the FOI request.

South Yorkshire Police has been contacted for comment but the force ha snow yet responded.