Sneaky pickpocket caught trying to steal a woman’s purse twice

Incredible CCTV footage has caught the moment a pickpocket tried and failed to steal a woman’s purse – twice – while the victim was completely oblivious.

The attempted theft happened in a clothing shop in Stamford Hill, north London, last week, and showed a woman walking over to a mum with a pram with several items of clothing in her hands.

She then used the clothes to try and cover up her actions as she unzipped the woman’s handbag to try and grab her valuables.

But before she can succeed, the victim walked away and headed towards the front of the shop.

The brazen attempted pickpocket tried again, taking advantage of the noisy and busy crowded shop.

She dipped her hand back into the woman’s bag before hanging the clothing on a nearby rack and leaving the shop.

It’s not known if the thief actually managed to swipe any items from the victim, but thankfully the whole thing was seen by another shopper who pointed out the attempted theft to the clueless victim, MailOnline reports.

It comes as recent data shows between 2017 and 2022, the Met Police recorded nearly 31,000 instances of mobile phone thefts.

Phones were most likely to be stolen in the Borough of Westminster, which saw nearly 9,300 thefts in the given period.

Data from late last year shows that crime on the Tube increased between April and September 2023 by 56% compared to the same period in 2022.

Thefts soared by an eyewatering 83%, while robberies were up by nearly 107%, despite passenger numbers falling by 11%.

Metro.co.uk has contacted the Metropolitan Police for more information.

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