Police have begun handing out bells for shoppers to keep on their bags in an effort to keep them safe from a wave of pickpocketing.
Whilst you may first look at the bells and think that they are a festive accessory, they are a form of protection. The police have begun handing the bells out in the run up to Christmas to keep Christmas shoppers’ belongings safe.
Lincolnshire Police said: “Police are warning all shoppers and residents in Lincoln, and further afield, to be aware of security of personal belongings after a number of ‘purse dipping’ incidents.
“From the end of October to date there have been several reports of this nature made to police. It happens when an offender reaches into a bag and quietly lifts out a purse of other item of high value
“They quite often do this unnoticed and it is only when a victim needs the item that has been stolen from their bag that the theft is noticed.”
The video below illustrate the Lincoln high street, where most of the pickpocketing has taken place as well as the Lincolnshire Police, the people behind the new bells.
