Keeping it out of sight, won’t ruin your night...
In February of 2012, the BBC reported that mobile phone thefts in the London borough of Islington had increased by 400% over 12 months.
As the availability of camera phones and the culture of recording on them increases, if you are filming inside our venue for a short or prolonged period of time, you are making yourself even more visible to a small percentage of people who are motivated to steal your possessions. You wouldn’t stand in a crowded environment holding a wad of £50 notes above your head, so please, if you do have to bring your phone to our venue, be aware that your free-on-contract handset is worth a lot more in other hands. Keeping it out of sight, won’t ruin your night.
When inside the venue, ensure your night ins't ruined by taking the following precautions:
- Avoid displaying your phone and valuables unnecessarily, for example photographing or recording artists / DJs.
- Keep your phone in a secure place, not in a loose, easily accessible back pocket.
- Be aware of the behaviour of those around you. Report anything suspicious to a security guard or steward.
Please, don’t let it ruin your night:
- Activate your phone's security code.
- Back up all your contacts and data before you leave home.
- Make your phone identifiable - use permanent property marking techniques and mark the battery.
- Register your mobile phone’s IMEI number for FREE on: www.immobilise.com
- Utilize GPS tracker apps on your smart phone.
- Turn on automatic photo uploads via iCloud, Google+ or Dropbox as this could help identify the culprit should worse come to worse.
- Stick with your friends and identify a suitable meeting point so if you do get split up you can find each other even if someone has lost their phone or had it stolen.
- Don’t leave handbags open or pockets easily accessible.
- Don't keep cash, cards and valuables in one place - spread them out among your pockets and clothing, using pockets secured by zips/buttons or in pockets inside jackets where possible. Be aware that in a crowded environment, where contact with other people is unavoidable, thieves will try to unzip/unbutton pockets and bags.
If your phone or personal property is stolen:
- As soon as you realise that any of your property is missing, inform both our security team and the Police immediately. Do not wait until you get home.
- Contact your network provider to ask for the SIM card and handset to be blocked. Telephone numbers for network providers can be found here: http://www.nmpcu.police.uk/network-numbers.php
For more advice and information visit the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit’s website at: http://www.nmpcu.police.uk/
