Man arrested with 53 stolen phones at Royal Blood concert

A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of theft after being caught with a haul of 53 mobile phones, seemingly hijacked from a concert by the band Royal Blood in Birmingham on Saturday night (19 November), West Midlands Police said in a release Sunday.

The gig took place at a venue known as The Arena, with police launching a "proactive operation" after receiving intelligence suggesting previous shows by the band had also been targeted.

Officers are now asking anyone at the event who had their phone stolen to get in contact.

The suspect was arrested in Birmingham's Broad Street, police said Sunday. The name and time of arrest of the alleged thief have not been released to the public.

Detective Jeff Clifford, from the criminal investigation department, said: "Currently the vast majority of victims have been identified, but we urge anyone who attended the concert who is missing a phone to call 101.

"Log 671 19/11/17 is being used to record new reports.

Clifford added: "It's unfortunately a reality that large crowds at concerts such as this make rich pickings for career criminals.

"We're hot on the heels of these offenders but you can also reduce your chances of falling victim to such crimes by remaining extra vigilant when attending busy events.

"If you think you had your phone taken last night, please get in touch with us and we can check whether or not we have been able to recover it."

West Midlands Police urged people to record details of their mobile phones and other valuables on the national property register – known as Immobilise – which it claimed can help police investigators to reunite stolen electronics with their rightful owners if seized.

Anyone with information about theft in Birmingham can call the police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.