Manchester Bar Turns Tables On Bag Thieves

A popular bar in Manchester city centre has had no reported bag theft since customers started using an ingenious clip which can be fitted inconspicuously under tables.

The Manchester Bierkellar, a theme bar boasting a wide range of German beers and a Bavarian style menu, has had a number of Chelsea Clips fitted in its dining area, which can seat more than 200 customers. The busy venue, which features 4 bar areas, regularly attracts more than 1,500 people on a Saturday night.

Bags left unattended on the back of chairs or on the floor are prime targets for bag thieves but the clips offer customers peace of mind as they relax with a drink or eat a meal with friends.

Following a recent crime impact survey carried out by Greater Manchester Police, all licensed premises in Manchester are now required to fit under table clips to deter handbag theft.

The Chelsea Clip is a unique deterrent, which has a proven track record of preventing opportunist bag theft from public places. Produced by security company Selectamark, it is an injection-moulded nylon hook from which a bag, rucksack or camera case can be suspended by its own strap.

Two hands are needed to remove an item from the Clip, making 'handbag snatching' virtually impossible. It can be easily fitted to tables, walls, bars, behind lavatory doors - in fact, anywhere a customer may need to secure their belongings.

Handbags often contain a number of financially valuable or sentimental items. Each time a handbag is stolen, women are said to face an average bill of £109 to replace the bag and its contents. More than one in 10 women carries a bag worth £250 or more.

The clips are also being used successfully in Wrexham, where local police have recommended them to nightclub owners following a spate of bag theft at late-night venues.

Signage is being used to advertise the use of the clips under tables, which police think has been a deterrent in itself. Since the clips have been introduced there have been no bag thefts reported from any of the clubs.

Suitable posters and other display material such as window and menu stickers should always be used in conjunction with The Chelsea Clip as a deterrent to thieves and as a reminder to both customers and staff that the clips are there to be used.

The labels, which carry the wording ‘Secure your bag here’ can be placed around the neck of a wine bottle to advertise the clips. One London council had the labels printed in different languages so that tourists and visitors to cafes and restaurants could be alerted to the risk of bag theft but protected from it at the same time.

Hotels, pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes in the London Borough of Westminster and at Angel in the London Borough of Islington are also using the Chelsea Clip as a solution to the problem of bag theft.
Cafes belonging to the anti-crime scheme Café Watch including Starbucks, Eat, Costa Coffee, Coffee Republic, Pret and Café Nero are all benefiting from the additional security offered by the clips.
As well as eating and drinking establishments, the Chelsea Clip can be used in changing cubicles in shops and sports facilities.

For further press information and images contact:
Angela Singleton, Press Officer for Selectamark.
Mobile: 07905 623 819. Email: angela.singleton@selectamark.co.uk