Originally Posted by
SeriouslyLost
Following up on the UK comment,
it comes down to intent and the period of time.
The police might not get a person on a theft charge if they return the item or if they intended to keep it but changed their mind quickly & returned it, but they can usually get them on a conversion charge and
unlawful taking charge under s12.
You'd also be driving without insurance (Your insurance would not cover you since you would not have owner consent, and the owner's insurance would not cover it).
For a thief to consider this (although they're not usually the Most intelligent bunch) they'd have to see a situation where a passenger is forced to separate themselves from their bag. Then, it's an easy target. I can't imagine a thief just randomly stealing bags - surely that wouldn't work....
I was waiting to board at MAN for a LUX-MAN-DUB flight. Someone had just discovered her handbag was missing from the overhead where she had placed it, and a search could not find it on the plane, presumed stolen by a passenger leaving at MAN. Grabbing a handbag might seem to have a better chance of getting some valuables
