Police are stepping up patrols in the Broadmead area
Passengers waiting for buses in the Horsefair, in Bristol city centre(Image: Google Maps)
Police are stepping up patrols at bus stops in Bristol city centre after a spate of pickpocket thefts from passengers waiting to board buses.
Passengers are being warned to keep their phones, wallets and valuables safe and their bags done up, after a spate of thefts from people sitting or standing at the bus stops in the Broadmead area – in Union Street, Rupert Street, the Horsefair, the Haymarket and Nelson Street.
Police are advising people waiting for buses to be extra vigilant, and have listed a series of things passengers can do to protect themselves against the thieves.
“The Broadmead City Centre team have noticed an increase in reports of pick pocketing and bag-dipping,” a spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said.
“These incidents have mainly occurred while the victims were waiting at bus stops around the Broadmead shopping quarter,” they added.
The thieves have been targeting people by sitting next to them at bus stops and ‘dipping’ into bags that are left open, but also targeting people standing waiting for buses who may be on their phones and not paying attention to what’s around them.
The police are recommending people use ‘dipping bells’ – small bells that ring when a handbag is opened or interfered with, and free sets of bells are being made available at the Bridewell police station in the heart of the city.
“Make sure your belongings are secure, with bag zips done up,” a police spokesperson said. “Be vigilant and aware of your surroundings, especially if someone is stood or sat unnecessarily close to you or your belongings.
“Never leave your pin written down, or in your wallet, never leave your bag unattended, secure your wallet or purse to your bag with a tether or attach some dipping bells,” she added.
“The Broadmead beat team will be patrolling the bus stops and engaging with the people there, there will also be some free dipping bells available from the Bridewell front office,” she said.
The warning about pickpockets and ‘bag-dippers’ comes six months after a spate of phone snatch incidents in the city centre, where people with their phones out in the street had them snatched by a masked gang on souped-up e-bikes.
They were arrested within a couple of days of the police warning of the spree.
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