Travel safety specialist beTravelwise has issued new guidelines on how to avoid becoming a victim of scooter crime when visiting major cities.

The advice comes days after police released footage of a woman being dragged down a south London street by thieves riding a moped after they unsuccessfully tried to grab her handbag and steal her purse.

This high-profile case is indicative of an alarming trend in the UK and globally, with the number of crimes committed on two-wheeled transport rocketing in recent years.

In London alone, more than 8,000 crimes were committed on motorbikes, scooters and bicycles in 2016, compared to just 317 in 2011, a staggering 1600% increase over the five-year period, according to police data.

The outlook for 2017 looks bleaker, with more than 5,500 crimes of this nature reported during the first four months of this year alone, the equivalent of almost 50 per day. Alarmingly, thousands more crimes go unreported.

“These statistics are shocking and anyone visiting London or any other big city around the world should be aware of this significant crime wave to which they could fall victim,” said Saul Shanagher, Director, beTravelwise, a UK-based firm that provides a range of specialized training and education solutions designed to support organizations in their travel risk management programs.

The company has issued safety advice to travelers to help protect them against opportunistic thieves on scooters and motorbikes, which can be found in the full press release attached, along with an image of Saul. If you require a high-res image, please let me know.