T-Mobile, VodaphoneZiggo, Phonehouse and KPN have removed all mobile phones from their shops following a string of robberies in the Amsterdam region.

KPN started the ball rolling earlier this week, and on Thursday, T-Mobile became the latest to join in. Customers will now get their new phones delivered, rather than pick them up in the store.

Having phones in stock is ‘not only dangerous for our staff but for shoppers,’ a spokesman told the Parool. ‘We are working closely with the authorities to track down the culprits and to guarantee safety. We have already implemented many measures but unfortunately we are now being forced to go a step further.’

Phonehouse, a network of franchisees, has also removed its phone stocks from city shops. ‘We had already reduced supplies to a minimum but did not want to remove phones altogether,’ a spokesman said ‘Our customers like to leave the shop with a phone. If we don’t have them on offer, our clients will go elsewhere.’

KPN, which has 12 stores in the Amsterdam area, is also closing its shop in the city’s district of Zuidoost because it had been targeted by robbers several times, Nu.nl reported.