'Dancing' pick pocket jailed after stealing phones and wallets in Birmingham city centre
A thief who distracted his victims in Birmingham by dancing has been jailed following an extensive investigation by city centre police officer
During July and August 2024, Anis Bardich targeted four people in the city centre.
The 27-year-old distracted them by trying to dance and moving in front of them to confuse them.
While he did this, he was simultaneously taking their wallets or mobile phones from their pockets.
The victims’ bank cards were later used in shops.
A dedicated pick-pocketing team from Operation Taurus trawled through CCTV after recognising a pattern in the series of thefts.
Using facial recognition technology, the team were able to identify Bardich as the offender.
He was convicted of four counts of theft and four counts of fraud by false representation, and at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday 27 March, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison.
He was also ordered to pay £2,240 in compensation to the people he stole from.
PC Amy O’Connor, from Operation Taurus, said: ““Pickpockets adopt various tricks and tactics to steal people’s property.
“I would encourage everyone to be on the lookout for these techniques so that they can keep their belongings safe”
"We are continuing to proactively target thieves and investigate thefts reported to us, and thanks to the dedicated work from officers on operations like Taurus, theft from the person offences in Birmingham city centre are down by 56 per cent since 2023."
