Region has one of fewest pickpocket rates

The statistics compiled by insurance firm, Protectyourbubble.com, found that London was the worst in the country, with the Metropolitan Police recording 195,018 'theft from the person' crimes between January 2013 and December last year.

That amounts to 223 such crimes for every 10,000 people living in the capital over that same period — five times the national average of 45 per 10,000.

Dyfed-Powys Police, however - which policies Powys, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire – recorded the least number of the crimes, with just seven for every 10,000 residents.

West Mercia, which includes Shropshire, also saw 3,009 of the crimes over the same period, equating to 23 per 10,000 people.

Surprisingly, Lincolnshire Police Force area was ranked second worst in the country, recording 10,440 over the same timeframe, amounting to 140 for every 10,000 people.

Care

The company had submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to 45 police forces across Britain to pinpoint where people are most likely to fall victim to opportunistic thieves.

The second safest area according to the research was North Wales Police’s force area, covering Wrexham, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno and Bangor, where there were only 15.7 of the crimes per 10,000 people, followed by Surrey with 16.

James Brown, director of Protect Your Bubble, said: "While it is not exactly a surprise to see the sprawling metropolises of London and Manchester topping this list, it is interesting to see Lincolnshire being ranked so high.

“For the force to have recorded so many of these thefts, but have such a comparatively low population, suggests there are pickpockets aplenty operating in this area.

“Residents in this force area should take extra care when walking around with valuable, uninsured belongings, especially phones, tablets, laptops and jewellery.”