Police chief blames iPod thieves for street-crime rise

iPod owners are increasingly being targeted by muggers who can spot the digital music players by their distinctive white leads, the country’s most senior police chief has said.

The number of robberies, including street muggings, in the capital rose by 26 per cent last month, compared with April last year. There were an extra 822, up to 3,934, in that period. Street thefts of iPods have risen from 10 in November 2004 to 52 so far this month. All crime in which an iPod was stolen has more than doubled to around 400 so far this month.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said the white coloured leads on the digital music players made it easy for criminals to spot when someone was wearing one.

“In street robbery our concern has been around the smaller portable pieces of kit - the new generation of mobile phones and iPods. They have different coloured leads, it is very obvious when someone is wearing an iPod. That is what is fuelling this.”

So with street mugging on the increase generally the iPod being the gadget of the moment gets some of the blame. The statement does make a good point though, with the distintive look of the iPod and the victim probably listening to the music at the time, they are becoming easy targets.

What are the options then? leave your iPod at home, take out some insurance or buy the ugliest and most nasty looking headphones you can find and hopefully you can scare off even the most desperate of muggers!

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