CRIME figures to be released this week are expected to show a rise of about 9% in the number of muggings and street robberies, writes Will Iredale.

The increase will come as a blow to John Reid, the home secretary, who gave assurances last summer that he would halt a crime surge that began two years ago after the removal of funding for the Home Office’s street crime initiative.

He said at the time: “I share the concerns of many people that the numbers of violent offences recorded by the police have increased, particularly robbery. I am determined to reverse the rise in recorded robbery and am already taking action to address it.”

The figures, collated by the Home Office from submissions from the 43 police forces in England and Wales, cover the three months from October 2006. Last week 26 forces released their figures showing a small fall in total crime compared with the previous year, but a sharp increase in violence on the streets with rises recorded by 21 forces.

Police blame the growth in al fresco eating and drinking, which can make people more vulnerable to opportunistic thieves. But a rise in cash-in-transit robberies is also a contributory factor.

“There has been an increase in unplanned cash-in-transit robberies of pizza delivery riders on mopeds and shop owners going to the bank,” said Steve Allen, spokesman on street crime for the Association of Chief Police Officers and a commander in the Metropolitan police, where there was a 7% rise in robbery.

He also said that snatch muggers were targeting the handbags, phones and MP3 players of the growing number of people sitting at tables outside coffee shops, cafes and bars, even in winter. Most forces cite mobile phones and iPods as the main targets.

Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk all recorded rises of more than 50% in robberies, although their overall crime figures were low. Nottinghamshire saw a 35% rise. The West Midlands force, which reported an increase of 16% from 2,190 in 2005 to 2,535, responded by increasing patrols to combat disorder and antisocial behaviour in Birmingham city centre.

Marian Fitzgerald, a former Home Office criminologist, said a new trend was children stealing mobile phones to sell them and pay for fashion items.

Additional reporting: Jessica Salter

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