One in eight children aged 11 to 16 has been the victim of a “hot product” theft, including mobile phones and MP3 players, in the past three years, according to a study published today.

The study showed that one in three of victims was listening to music on headphones, talking, texting or playing on a games console when the property was snatched.

Home Office ministers have highlighted the links between street robbery and young people carrying high-tech equipment including mobile phones and MP3 players.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, will announce today that the Government is planning to extend the British Crime Survey (BCS) to include children under 16.

The move is an attempt to gain a more comprehensive picture of offending in England and Wales, particularly in areas such as violent crime on the streets.

The study, carried out by the Design Council, said that almost a third of 11-year-olds estimated that the value of the “hot products” they carried was more than £200. Almost half of those surveyed put the value at between £100 and £500.

Ms Smith will meet designers and manufacturers today to discuss how the products can be improved to minimise the risk of theft from youngsters.

She said: “I want to ensure that young people are offered as much protection from crime as possible, and receive support if they do become victims, whilst also tackling offending vigorously.”

David Kester, chief executive of the Design Council, said: “Our objective is simple — to look at the thorny problem of hot product theft through the design lens and come up with some new ideas.”

The survey of a thousand 11 to 16-year-olds, carried out last month, found that 85 per cent carried their phone with them frequently and 35 per cent carried an MP3 player.

Almost 70 per cent said that they always carried a mobile phone and only 6 per cent said that they did not own one, while almost one in five of those questionned always carried an MP3 and 23 per cent said that they did not own one.

A quarter of those who had been a victim of a hot product theft said that a mobile phone, MP3 player or games console had been snatched from them directly.

Almost one third said that the item had been taken by a pickpocket and 40 per cent said that it had been stolen when left unattended. The overwhelming majority of thefts had been carried out by a stranger, the study said.

Only 34 per cent told the police about the theft and 42 per cent did not report the crime to anyone in authority. Eighty per cent, however, told their parents, the survey revealed.

The British Crime Survey, which is conducted each year, currently questions 47,000 people over 16 about their experience of crime, but does not include people aged under 16 or commercial crime.

As a result, the survey does not give a complete picture of the extent of crime, particularly in areas such as property and knife crime involving youngsters.

In the measures to be announced by Ms Smith today, the Government is to consult on whether those questioned should be aged 10 to 15 or 11 to 16. Parents will have to give their permission before their children can be questioned about their experiences of crime, the Home Office said.

“Extending the BCS will help us to understand better how crime affects young people and do even more to prevent it,” Ms Smith added.

Tim Bateman, of Nacro, the crime reduction charity, said: “This is a welcome decision and should go some way to redressing the balance between the public's perception that young people are primarily offenders and the reality that they are subject to relatively high levels of victimisation.”

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