This is the moment a pickpocket was caught on CCTV using bizarre dance moves to distract a victim before stealing his mobile phone.
The sneaky street thief can be seen walking up to the man on Clumber Street, in Nottingham city centre, shortly after 7.30am on November 16.
Police believe the crook then pretended to be drunk in order to trick the victim into thinking he was ‘simply in a cheerful mood’.
After greeting the man with a fist bump and engaging him in conversation, he then busted the unusual moves, placing one of his legs between the victim’s leg and jumping up and down.
The suspect was able to remove the man’s mobile phone from his pocket before hiding it behind his back and making his escape.
Nottinghamshire Police released the footage on Monday and are urging anyone who can identify the man to get in touch with the force.
Inspector Paul Gummer, of the city centre neighbourhood policing team, said: ‘Officers were able to trace the offender’s prior movement to a McDonalds.
‘We therefore examined CCTV from the nearby branch and were able to obtain a clear image of the person responsible for this distraction theft.
The sneaky street thief can be seen walking up to the man on Clumber Street, in Nottingham city centre, shortly after 7.30am on November 16
After greeting the man with a fist bump and engaging him in conversation, he then busted the unusual moves, placing one of his legs between the victim’s leg and jumping up and down
Nottinghamshire Police released the footage on Monday and are urging anyone who can identify the man to get in touch with the force
‘If you know who he is, please get in touch with us.
‘He does not appear to be intoxicated on the McDonald’s CCTV just minutes before the theft but gave that impression when he was with the victim.
‘We therefore believe he pretended to be intoxicated as part of a ploy to trick the victim into thinking he posed no threat and was being jovial.
‘Distraction thefts of this nature have happened in the past – not just in Nottingham but across the country and it is common for the offender to claim the strange dance is a traditional cultural dance from their country.
‘To be clear – it is absolutely not a cultural dance – it’s a cynical attempt to distract attention away from the victim’s pockets, where the pick pocketing is happening.
‘I would therefore encourage the public to be vigilant against this brazen crime, avoid it happening to you and watch out for it happening to anyone else, particularly those who may be ‘slightly too merry’ to recognise what’s happening to them during this festive period.’
