Stolen phone? Three easy tips to make life tougher for thieves

A new video released by London's Metropolitan Police shows the ease with which thieves can make off with your mobile phone on the street.

One minute you're checking emails or making a call, the next, the phone has been snatched out of your hand.

In two of the examples in the video, the thieves use a scooter to make a swift getaway, with one driving and another riding on the back with hands free to snatch a phone.

Mounting the kerb, they spot an unsuspecting pedestrian, take the phone out of their hands and accelerate away before anyone has a chance to do anything about it. The third clip is very similar but features a thief on a bicycle instead of a scooter.

So far, so worrying. But there's plenty you can do to ensure the thieves don't get what they're after - especially since access to your data is potentially a lot more valuable than the handset itself.

Make sure you have a password
It won't keep a determined thief out forever, but having a lock screen with a keycode, password, face-recognition or fingerprint scanner (like the new iPhone 5S) is the first barrier you can put up between a hacker and your data. Various polls estimate that between 30% and 60% of people don't use any kind of password to lock their phones.

Register your phone for tracking
Most smartphones allow you to track them if they go missing - but you have to have set this up beforehand. As of September this year, Android users have Android Device Manager included with their Google account.

Apple users will need to register with FindMyiPhone which uses their iCloud account in the same way. Both services let you install a passcode remotely, lock the phone remotely, trigger a one-minute ring at the loudest volume, and as a last resort, erase the device completely.

Use Immobilise.com
This makes it easier for the police to identify your phone if they recover it. It's a free service - simply enter the serial number of your phone (or anything else you like) and if disaster strikes, you'll have a better chance of getting it back.

If the IMEI number is registered with Immobilise, your phone will go straight onto a blocked list, and the thief will face the more laborious task of reprogramming it.