From masks to elbow greetings, the pandemic has taught us to rethink personal space — and it appears that thieves and pickpockets have got the message too.
As most of Britain re-emerged from lockdown, many types of crime that plummeted in late March remain below their usual levels, according to new figures.
Personal theft, which include phone-snatching and pickpocketing, was 52% lower in July than the same month last year. In Westminster, once a hotbed of pickpockets, theft fell from 1,332 offences last July to 352 in the same month this year.
The street-level crime figures, from 42 of the UK’s 46 police forces via the data.police.uk website, also show that robbery remains 24% below last year’s level.
In April, the home secretary, Priti Patel,