Spot the pickpocket: West Midlands Police release videos to show the prevalence of pickpockets in Birmingham city centre

There have been 3,000 incident of pickpocketing in Birmingham over the past 12 months

Man is pickpocketed by magicians as he sits on bench (West Midlands Police)

Do you think you could tell if you were being pickpocketed?

The West Midlands Police has released a series of videos in which magicians are used to place things in the pockets of unwitting members of the public in a bid to raise awareness around the prevalence of pickpocketing in Birmingham.

In one of the videos, a bag is taken from a man as he watches a street performer, while several others show pedestrians having cards placed in their pockets without them realising.

According to the West Midlands Police, there have been over 3,000 incidents of pickpocketing reported in the city in the last 12 months, with over half involving mobile phones.

PC Lee Howard from the Birmingham city centre proactive team said: “When it comes to pickpockets, we have them firmly on our radar. We know their names, we know their tactics and we know who they prey on.”