One of Britain’s leading criminologists has warned the recent spate of Canada Goose coat muggings could be the start of a new ‘luxury crime trend’ and has warned all those who own the expensive jackets to be cautious. 

The intensely desirable coats – which can be flogged for as much as £1,700 – have been targeted by muggers across the country resulting in cars being broken into, pedestrians robbed, neighbours stealing from neighbours and even knife attacks. 

On Sunday, shocking footage emerged showing two hooded thugs trying to steal one of the coveted coats in broad daylight at a Kent train station. 

In December, a man claimed he had been slashed in the face with a knife while being mugged for his coat and shared a video of himself in hospital with a scar across his face. 

Captioning the video, ‘don’t die for Canada Goose’, he implored his followers to be careful whilst wearing the plush jackets. 

Last month, a Transport for London chief warned youngsters travelling on the Tube were being targeted for North Face and Canada Goose coats – with an 83 per cent rise in the number of thefts recorded from 2,935 in 2022 to 5,378 in 2023.

Yesterday two hooded thugs were seen trying to steal a man’s £1,000 Canada Goose jacket at a rail station

People across the country have claimed that their cars and vans have been broken into for the coats

The extremely desirable coats can be sold for as much as £1700 making them a target for muggers 

Across the country, there have been multiple reports of crooks breaking into parked cars outside homes to take the coats from inside. 

In October, a young woman filmed herself confronting a man at a train station who she claimed had ‘stolen’ her Canada Goose coat from the outside storage facility at her flat. 

After following the man home, she claimed he was in fact her neighbour and had stolen many other items from her in the past.  

There have also been reports of young London Underground passengers also being targeted for their luxury garments and headphones while travelling, with crime on the network up 56 per cent in the last year. 

According to David Wilson, a professor of criminology at Birmingham City University, the sudden rise in coat thefts could signal a more worrying trend.

He explained: ‘It could be the start of a new spate of luxury item muggings.

‘You may recall we’ve seen muggings of this sort before. 

‘Thieves used to target Rolex watches which go for thousands of pounds and then flog them online because they’re usually stolen to order.

‘I would tell anyone wearing Canada Goose jackets to be careful and be aware of your surroundings and who’s around you. 

‘You have to be vigilant for opportunists who might try to steal them.

‘But I would also tell anyone interested in buying knock-offs to use a bit of common sense. 

‘Don’t buy luxury items being sold for less than half the price – help break the market.’

And it’s not just coats, as according to the Transport for London (TfL) security chief AirPod earphones and smartphones are also among the items being stolen from travellers on the Tube.

A woman claimed her Canada Goose jacket had been stolen from outside her flat by her neighbour 

After following the man home, the woman claimed she was able to retake possession of it

People have claimed their cars have been ransacked and all their valuables stolen

Last month, Siwan Haward revealed ‘acquisitive crime’ including thefts and pickpocketing, was ‘driving the increase in our overall crime rate’. She added: ‘It’s a very, concerning, intimidating and frightening type of behaviour that we are seeing across the capital.’

The number of crimes committed between April and September last year across the Underground network was 10,836, compared with 6,924 in the same period in 2022.

It included an 83 per cent rise in the number of thefts recorded from 2,935 in 2022 to 5,378 in 2023. The number of robberies soared 107 per cent from 164 to 340.

According to the London Evening Standard, Ms Hayward said: ‘What is being stolen? Airpods, phones and – we are at risk of seeing an increase in robbery because of this – branded coats.

‘Canada Goose coats, some North Face – they are targeted for robbery. It’s a real concern to us because it really impacts on the safety of young people on the network.’

She claimed crime on the Tube was now returning to ‘normal’ levels having ‘plummeted’ during the pandemic.

But TfL data shows that while crime on the public transport network hit a peak in 2019, the current level is still much higher than in 2017 and 2018 – despite passengers numbers having fallen by about a fifth overall.

Ms Hayward said data showed there were 12.8 crimes per million passenger journeys, but the figure on the National Rail network was nearly double that at 22.