“That’s a nice ipod� said the thief

How attached are you to your ipod? Would you miss it if it were to be snatched away from you all of a sudden? This could be the situation you find yourself in if you're not careful. Scary isn't it!

The reality of the situation is; muggings and thefts are on the increase, especially in this, the age of the mobile phone and MP3 player. Alarming government statistics show that the level of muggings in the UK has increased dramatically over the last year or so.

You'd be right in thinking that your home insurance should cover this. In fact, in reality this could well prove not to be the case. Many insurance companies specify that they do not cover portable devices once they have left the safety of your home.

To see a person walking past on a street with a pair of headphones has become such a common site that to most people it doesn't even register. You might see this as a good thing, you might think that it makes people less likely to steal an item like this due to the massive market saturation. That's where you'd be wrong. This makes it even more appealing to the average opportunist thief, who sees an easily re-sellable item staring them in the face.

To give you an example of how bad the problem could become, just take a second to absorb this fact; there has been 100 million ipods sold to date worldwide (a figure rising rapidly). This most probably gives a statistic in the UK of 1 in 3 people owning one, or possibly even higher.

"What can I do to protect myself?" you ask. For starters, you should always hide the actual item in your clothing and not have it displayed. Obviously there's nothing you can do if you're wearing a pair of headphones. You can at least make sure this is less attractive by not showing how expensive the MP3 player attached to the other end is. Try not to go out on your own at night listening to one as you won't be able to hear if someone decides to target you until it's too late. Most of this is just common sense but it helps to hear it reiterated sometimes.

If you're worried, contact your house insurance provider and check if portable items are covered. If you find they are not, you may be able to extend the contents cover to protect them. Alternatively a new idea some companies are placing into action is a portable property bolt-on. This is an extra sub/mini policy that will cover you for an agreed amount.

Once you've made sure you're covered, you can relax safe in the knowledge that if you are unlucky enough to be a victim of theft, at least you can replace your item. Who knows you might even be able to get the latest model!