By MICHAEL GOODIER

OBILE phone thefts have fallen to a record low.

New figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales reveal that 365,000 phone owners had their mobiles stolen in 2017/18.

While that works out as around 1,000 mobile phone thefts a day, it actually accounts for just 0.8 per cent of all phone owners.

It is both the lowest number and proportion of mobile thefts recorded since at least 2007/08, when modern records began.

The number of phones stolen has fallen in each successive year since 2013/14.

That year there were 781,000 victims of phone theft.

The decline coincides with the introduction of better security on devices, such as pin codes, biometric locks, and the ability to remotely trace the phone’s location or wipe it.

These measures likely make phones less attractive to thieves.

Despite the fall in thefts, mobiles are still stolen in 39 per cent of snatches or pickpocketings. That makes them the second-most commonly stolen item after cash (43 per cent).

Age affects the likelihood of a person’s phone being stolen.

Those aged 18 to 21 are most at risk, with 1.6 per cent experiencing phone theft last year - double the average 0.8 per cent.

That’s followed by 22 to 24 year olds (of whom 1.4 per cent had their phone stolen), and 25 to 30 year olds (one per cent).

Unsurprisingly, phone owners aged over 75 and those aged under 10 were the least likely to lose their phone to a criminal, with 0.3 and 0.2 per cent experiencing theft last year.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “ONS figures for year ending March 2018 show that mobile phone theft is at its lowest level since 2005, which is welcome news.

“Tackling these crimes continues to be a priority for the Home Office and to drive further progress we will continue to work with the police, industry and others on what more can be done to prevent theft.”