A suspected thief was arrested after he was found to have 38 mobile phones in his trousers at a Libertines concert.
The man was arrested on Wednesday night at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham after the devices were discovered.
He and another man attracted the police’s attention when they were seen acting suspiciously at the gig.
Both men had taped their trousers closed at the bottom.
Some of the phones removed from the man's trousers
West Midlands Police said that the men, both aged 30, remained in custody on Thursday and they were continuing to question them.
Inspector Gareth Morris, who oversees local policing in the city, said: “It’s an unfortunately reality that large crowds at concerts such as this make rich pickings for career criminals.
“We’re hot on the heels of these offenders but you can also reduce your chances of falling victim to such crimes by remaining extra vigilant when attending busy events.
Gig-goers watching The Libertines were targeted
“If you think you had your phone taken last night, please get in touch with us and we can check whether or not we have been able to recover it.”
The arrests were made as part of an operation led by Birmingham Police, which was set up after intelligence suggested that gig-goers at a Libertines concert in Manchester were targeted by thieves.
People are urged to record details of their mobile phones and other valuables on the national property register at Immobilise.com, which can help police reunite stolen items with owners.
Anyone with information about theft in Birmingham should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.