End of quarter results from CPP’s PhoneSafe division also reveals that the majority of mobile phone damage continues to take place in the home.
Danny Harrison, product manager for PhoneSafe, commented: “Mobile phones are always going to be an attractive target for criminals, not just because of their value but also the ease of the theft. We need to take extra care while out and about because we are particularly vulnerable. The growth in mobile phone theft in pubs and clubs in the last quarter reflects the volume of people who let their guard down while celebrating Christmas festivities.
“The majority of mobile phone damage continues to take place in the home, however we were surprised to see the emergence of damage caused by dogs!,” he added. “The old adage of the dog ate my homework may not be true but it is certainly a reason cited by a small number of our customers.”
The percentage of mobile phone theft from the home doubled at the end of December. Around one in four claims cited mobile phones were stolen from the home, compared to around one in eight at the end of October.
One in five thefts took place while people were commuting, up four per cent compared to third quarter figures. More mobile phones were stolen in pubs and clubs at the end of December compared to the last quarter (20% versus 16%).
Most mobile phone thefts occurred in the afternoon in the last quarter of the year, compared with the evening at the end of October. Sunday is consistently the day when most phones are stolen.
The Capital remains the centre of mobile phone crime with around one in three mobile phones stolen in London.
Mobile phone damage figures recorded at the end of December largely mirrored third quarter results. The majority of mobile phone damage still occurs in the home, with 48% of PhoneSafe claims naming this as the place of damage. This was followed by work (13%) and the street (5%).
A cracked screen is the most common type of damage with over a quarter of mobile phones broken in this way (29%). A fifth of mobile phones are dropped and six per cent of handsets are smashed.
Amazingly, nearly 4% of mobile phones were damaged by owners dropping them in a drink and around 1%of mobile phone damage claims were attributed to the dog.
Four in ten mobile phones are damaged in the afternoon with damage most likely to occur on the weekend, with one in five claims occurring on a Saturday and Sunday.