Keep your belongings safe in the city

Whether you’re in the UK for the first time, or a frequent visitor, these top tips will help you keep your belongings secure and out of reach of thieves. Learn these top tips before you go out, to help put your mind at ease.  

Make a list

With everything from headphones to laptops and phones to cameras, it can often be difficult to keep track of all of your valuable belongings. Noting down the items you have with you can help you spot when things go missing.

This might also include important documents and passes such as your bank cards, Oyster card, Railcard, passport, driving licence etc.

Mark your property

One of the most effective ways of protecting your possessions is to invisibly mark them with your house number and postcode. You can do this with an ultra-violet (UV) pen, meaning the mark is only visible under UV light and does not reduce the value of your item.

This measure helps police identify stolen goods and makes it harder for thieves to sell on.

Out of sight, out of mind

Only use gadgets in public when you absolutely need to and don’t attract attention to items when not in use. When using your phone, ensure that you’re not standing next to a road, as this allows for easy snatching.

Security numbers and locks

On laptops, phones and tablets turn on security locks such as passwords, fingerprint/face recognition and patterns. Recording unique IMEI numbers of each device will allow for easier reporting if stolen.

You can register your IMEI numbers on Immobilise, which helps to recover personal property and get it back to its rightful owners.

Don’t leave items unattended

It may be tempting to leave your laptop out as you go to get another round of coffee but leaving your bag or belongings unattended in a public place can lead to a security alert. If you do need to leave your bag somewhere, there are lots of luggage drop-off points around the city that you can use.

Cash

Remember to keep your purse or wallet close to your body and don’t carry too much cash. If you do need to withdraw more money when you’re out you should keep an eye out for a few things.

When using the ATM, check that no one is looking over your shoulder and that the ATM hasn’t been tampered with in any way. When entering your PIN number, cover the keypad with your other hand, so that nobody else can see.

Anti-theft bags

If you do spend a lot of time in crowded places, it might be worth investing in an anti-theft bag. Such bags have tamper-proof zips, cut-proof straps, anchored straps and slash-proof metal mesh sew into the bag.

If you are a victim of theft, call 999 in an emergency and 101 if it’s not an emergency.

You can also find out more about personal safety at UCL.