More than 360 mobile phones have been stolen from St Julian’s so far this year – more than three a day – by thieves and pickpockets, according to figures obtained from the police.

The majority of the phones, 164, were stolen from bars and restaurants and there were 148 cases of pick pocketing and three muggings.

Figures show that 82 phones were stolen in January, 85 in February, 131 in March and 65 until April 21 – totalling 363 stolen phones in 111 days.

The mother of a teenage girl who goes to Paceville regularly said that four mobile phones had been stolen from her daughter while she was out over the past two years – a Blackberry and three iPhones.

In the most recent case, which occurred on Easter Sunday, her daughter was sitting on a bench in Paceville with friends with her handbag close to her.

When the girl, 18, stepped away from her bag to speak to a friend, a man on a bicycle passed by and snatched it, she said.

When she went to file a police report the following day, she said there were another two people filing reports for stolen phones.

“Something must be done. There has to be stronger police presence in Paceville,” she said.

This point was raised last year by nightclub managers who had complained about the apparent lack of police resources in dealing with the rising tide of theft and pickpocketing in Paceville.

They spoke up about the “unpoliced epidemic” of pickpocketing after CCTV footage, showing the coordinated theft of a mobile phone from the handbag of an unsuspecting 23-year-old, went viral on social media.

A spokeswoman for the Home Affairs Ministry said that police presence increased with the setting up of the new rapid intervention unit that increased patrols during busy periods, such as weekends.

Last December Times of Malta reported that 4,161 items were reported stolen in St Julian’s in 2013, mainly mobile phones, cash, credit cards and wallets.

A few weeks earlier St Julian’s had been named Malta’s theft capital after figures tabled in Parliament showed that, over the past five years, it had the highest number of reported cases.

The tourist hotspot, which includes nightlife hub Paceville, had the highest number of burglaries from occupied residences, armed robberies, muggings, pick-pocketing and snatch and grab cases. Figures obtained from the police had shown that, over the past three years, there were 14,124 theft reports filed at St Julian’s.