Clip Solution For Bag Snatchers

Restaurants, hotels, pubs, bars and cafes in the London Borough of Westminster are offering their customers an ingenious (and inconspicuous) solution to the problem of bag theft.
Handbags and other items of personal luggage can now be securely stored under tables in many London venues, thanks to a mass order of the Chelsea Clip funded by the Safer Westminster Partnership (which includes Westminster City Council and the Met Police).
The Chelsea Clip is a specially designed hook placed under a table and from which a bag, or other small item of personal luggage, can be suspended by its own strap. The item is easily placed onto the Clip but two hands are required to remove it, making bag snatching virtually impossible.
As well as eating and drinking establishments, the Chelsea Clip can be used in all types of transportation, including buses and coaches, ferries and aircraft. Other likely venues include changing cubicles in shops and sports facilities. They can even be installed on the inside of lavatory doors.

The Met Police’s Westminster Safer Neighbourhood Team are helping to distribute the Clips initially in the Soho and Mayfair areas where there are numerous hotels, bars and restaurants. The local Pubwatch and Cafewatch organisations, which run crime prevention initiatives supported by the licensees and cafe owners themselves, are also involved.

According to a report from Direct Line Home Insurance, the most common location for handbag theft is in the pub, with work, shops and nightclubs being the joint second most frequent place. The survey also found that over one fifth of women in the UK have been the targets of handbag theft, with nearly one in 10 carrying more than £250 worth of items in their handbag, including cash, make-up, door keys, mobile phones and medication.

Helen Wheeler-Osman from Westminster City Council said: “There has been a spate of bag theft from the backs of chairs in certain pubs in the Westminster area, so we were keen to find a solution that would give customers peace of mind as they relax with a drink or eat a meal with friends.”

Suitable posters and other display material should always be used in conjunction with Chelsea Clips as a deterrent to thieves and as a reminder to both customers and staff.

Ms Wheeler-Osman continued: “In order that customers were aware that the Clips were available for them to use under the tables, we worked in conjunction with Selectamark (main distributors of The Chelsea Clip) to produce special handbag-shaped labels that can be hung on the hook itself.”

The labels, which carry the wording ‘Secure your bag here’ can also be placed around the neck of a wine bottle to advertise the Clips. They have been printed in eight different languages so that tourists and visitors to the capital can also be protected from bag theft.

Ms Wheeler Osman concluded: “We are confident that The Chelsea Clip is an effective way of deterring bag theft in the Westminster area and we would encourage all those who frequent pubs and restaurants to make use of the added security the Clips offer in protecting personal luggage.”

For further press information and images contact:
Angela Singleton, Press Officer for Selectamark.
Mobile: 07905 623 819. Email: angela.singleton@selectamark.co.uk