MUGGINGS and street robberies rose by eight per cent last year despite an overall reduction in crime, figures revealed yesterday. Pickpocketing, bag and phone-snatching soared by 13 per cent and knifepoint robberies went up nine per cent. The category of theft from the person increased by an alarming 10 per cent – the biggest year-on-year increase in a decade. The number of Britons falling victim to any crime rose from just under one in 20 in 2010 to almost one in 16. But total recorded crime fell three per cent, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. Campaigners voiced fears that police cash cuts contributed to the rise in street crime and were leaving forces powerless to stop it.
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