Nearly 40% of phone thefts in Europe happen in the UK now and more than 40% of those are stolen in London

It was hard to think of London as being the "crime capital" of Europe now, having been there countless times over the past 30 years with nary a pilfered pochette. But things have clearly changed. Not only do tourists no longer have the option to get 17% VAT refunded on purchases, they are most likely to be relieved of their valuables, particularly mobile phones, it seems.