Shoppers and workers in the Chichester area are being urged to keep their valuables close to hand after a spate of thefts.
Over the past few weeks, police have received several reports of purses, wallets and bags being stolen from shops and workplaces.
Thieves have then gone on to use credit cards to buy goods.
In some cases, victims made it easy for thieves by lea
ving their personal effects unattended in shopping trollies.
Police are now advising shoppers, visitors and workers to be more security-conscious when out and about or at work.
District Performance Sergeant Anna Gent said: "There is a dedicated team of police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in Chichester who work hard to keep the city a crime-free place for the public to safely work and socialise.
"There is also a CCTV network which is carefully monitored and many employers subscribe to the CHIBAC (Chichester Businesses Against Crime) communications system.
"These partners are already working together to prevent and detect crime and I would ask those members of the public who work or socialise in the city to heed the advice and make their own contribution to keeping crime rates down."
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The full article contains 274 words and appears in OS-Chichester Observer newspaper.
