How to never lose your passport on holiday - video

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office guide to never becoming a victim of crime while abroad

As everyone across the country finalises their summer holiday plans, the last thing on anyone's mind is crime prevention.

Yet the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is at pains to point out how easily you could get lured into the most simple of criminal techniques that make you lose your most important of travel possessions: your passport.

To emphasise the perils of travelling abroad - as well as how simple it is to protect yourself from being a thief's target - the FCO got stealth crime expert James Freedman to help create the ultimate holiday safety guide.

While passport safety may not feel high on the list of holiday priorities, over 20,000 British passports were reported lost or stolen in 2014. FCO minister James Duddridge said losing a passport can completely ruin a trip, wasting you both time and money whilst you're trying to have a bit of a break.

James Freedman said people should leave their passport in a safe in their hotel rather than taking it out with them - unless they really need it. He warned to be especially careful when walking past "Beware pickpockets! signs. That's because when people see such signs they instantly pat their pockets or bag to feel whether their passport or cash is still where they left it. This however simply acts as a huge signal for pickpockets about where your goods are and how easy it can be to snatch them.

Top tips for never losing your passport on holiday:

• Be aware of your surroundings
• Be wary of strangers who take an unusual amount of interest in you
• Lock your passport in a safe if you have access to one
• If you need to keep it with you, make sure it is not visible
• Make two photocopies of your passport – leave one with friends or family and take the second with you, or store an electronic copy securely
• Fill in the emergency details / next of kin page before you depart