Crime is certainly on the increase in the UK in my opinion. In June an old lady of 80 was mugged in our town and no arrest has yet been made, 9 weeks after the event. Thankfully gun crime is almost unheard of still, so for the time being at least, armed police are confined to the airports. I'd really hate to see our coppers carrying guns in the street.
The phone theft thing is reckoned now to be a scam on insurance companies I notice.
Englishman.