I was nearly the victim of a (to me) new and quite ingenious form of pickpocketing yesterday evening. I was waiting to get off the bus in Camberwell. A man with what seemed to be a nearly empty but large white plastic bag in his arms came and stood very close to me, although the bus wasn't crowded, with the plastic bag held between us. The plastic bag was touching me and covered up my handbag, which was one of those messenger bags that go over your shoulder and hang close in front of you, so are usually fairly secure. I moved away because he was so close, and felt a tugging at my bag as though it was caught on something. When I looked, my handbag zipper was open, though I'm sure it was closed when I stood up a minute earlier. The man at once turned his back and looked studiously in the other direction, even when I said to my friend quite audibly, 'I think he was trying to steal my purse'. He didn't get off the bus at that stop although he was apparently waiting to get off.

Didn't quite have the assurance to confront him as it happened quite quickly and I wasn't absolutely 100 per cent sure what was going on, but I was as sure as I could be.

Yet another thing to look out for! The man was young, tall and slim with shaved hair, and I think African.