Designers strike at bag-snatchers and pickpockets

Exhibition showcases fashionable new crime-resistant products as criminals target Christmas shoppers

19 December 2000

A group of professional designers has set out to make crime prevention fashionable, with trendy new products designed specifically to foil pickpockets and bag-snatchers. The results of their efforts will go on display at the Design Museum in London from Tuesday 19 December, in an exhibition called Design Against Crime: in the bag and off the wall.

The new exhibition opens as the annual Christmas crime spree for pickpockets and bag snatchers reaches its peak. Streets and other public areas, crowded with seasonal shoppers and revellers, provide the ideal environment for the criminals to operate in. Street crimes have risen by 20 per cent in the capital over the past year, and special police operations to protect shoppers in the West End of London has just been launched.

Among the products on show in the new exhibition will be a number of 'anti-dip' bags, which are next to impossible for thieves to open while they're being carried. Some are made from special ballistic material, which means the straps can't be cut or the bag slashed by criminals wanting to get their hands on the contents..

And because thieves often pounce after their victims have put their bags down in restaurants, bars and cafes, the exhibition features fashionable anti-theft chairs. Designed to keep bags secure while their owners relax, these chairs have already been tried out by a number of busy restaurants in London's Covent Garden.

The exhibition is being coordinated by Central St Martins College of Art and Design, and is sponsored by the Design Council as part of its Design Against Crime initiative. Andrew Summers, Chief Executive of the Design Council says : 'The fight against crime is one of modern society's top priorities. Our ground-breaking Design Against Crime project aims to ensure that crime prevention becomes an integral part of the design development process in the UK. We want to encourage companies and other organisations to address crime resistance in their designs and systems at the earliest possible stage.'

The new anti-theft products being unveiled at the Design Against Crime exhibition were developed with help from the British Transport and Metropolitan police.

Sir John Stevens, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, has offered his personal support for the exhibition. Sir John says : 'I am encouraged by the work being carried out by the Design Council and Central St Martins College of Art and Design. Crime reduction is not solely the responsibility of the police. Manufacturers and businesses can play a very significant part in reducing opportunities for criminals, by designing-out crime'.

Ends

Notes to editors:

1. The Design Against Crime exhibition opens at the Design Museum, 28 Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD on Tuesday 19 December, and runs until Sunday 21 January, 2000.
2. Journalists, photographers and film crews are invited to visit the exhibition between 10.30am and 11.30am on Tuesday 19 December. Designers, organisers, sponsors and a police spokesperson will be available for interview. Students will be available to 'model' the products.
3. If you are interested in covering the exhibition, or would like more information or photographs of the exhibits, contact the Design Council Media Team on 020 7420 5200.