How London is epicentre of UK’s telephone theft epidemic
This new map reveals London‘s phone theft hotspots, with nearly 52,000 devices stolen in the capital last year as criminals on mopeds and e-bikes use violence and distraction techniques to target victims.
The worst-hit borough was the City of Westminster, where tourists flock for theatre shows and high-end shopping, with 18,863 reported incidents in the year to December – up 47 per cent from 12,836 in the previous 12 months.
Camden was the second worst affected, with 4,806 incidents, followed by Southwark (4,376), Hackney (2,761), Newham (2,585), Lambeth (2,394) and Islington (2,117). In London as a whole more than 52,000 phones were stolen last year.
Shocking videos show muggers swerving alongside pedestrians before grabbing their phones and making off with them at speed. One thief who was recently brought to justice stole 24 phones in one morning.
Figures show 165,933 mobile phone thefts were reported to the Metropolitan Police between January 1, 2019 and December 31 last year – making up 52 per cent of the total in England and Wales.
The worst-hit borough was the City of Westminster, where tourists flock for theatre shows and high-end shopping, with 18,863 reported incidents in the year to December – up 47 per cent from 12,836 in the previous 12 months
This brazen theft happened on 6 June on a busy road near Tavistock Square in Marylebone, central London, just a short distance from Euston Station and the British Museum.
Phone thefts rose by 20 per cent last year across England and Wales as a whole, according to figures released after a freedom of information request by The Times.
Police forces recorded 316,683 incidents between January 1, 2019 and December 31 last year, although the total will be higher because six forces failed to respond to the request and three refused to.
London is by far the worst affected city in England and Wales, with criminals targeting wealthy shoppers and foreign tourists.
One recent video shows an unsuspecting victim minding her own business when the man clad in black comes up behind her and snatches her mobile before speeding off.
Her attempt to give chase was futile as the thief raced off on an e-bike capable of speeds up to 30 miles per hour.
The brazen theft happened on 6 June on a busy road near Tavistock Square in Marylebone, central London, just a short distance from Euston Station and the British Museum.
A man filming the video from a passing car chillingly predicts what was about to happen, with the onlooker clearly heard in the nine second video saying: ‘He’s going to grab her phone.’
As the bike crook snatches the phone he is heard saying ‘see ya’ before adding: ‘Oh my days.’
It is the second such attack caught on camera in as many days as a spate of attacks has shocked many Londoners as the horrific crime wave has swept through the capital.
In a separate incident in a different part of London two crooks on a moped were caught on camera trying to swipe a man’s phone while riding along the pavement.
The victim, who was standing on a street corner, can be seen glancing down at his mobile but luckily turned around as the scooter approaches.
Sonny Stringer, 28, snatched an incredible 24 handsets in little over an hour. He was caught after being rammed by police and pleaded guilty to theft
The thief on the back attempts to grab it but the man is able to pull his arm away. The incident happened at 8am today in Tottenham, north London.
Following the failed attempt to steal the phone, the scooter then speeds away on the path as the victim looks on bemused.
Last month a video showed a cyclist dressed all in black rides up to a group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End.
The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman’s hands and speeds off.
At the start of the clip – which has been shared widely on TikTok and X – the thief can be seen riding alongside another cyclist who is also dressed all in black.
The incident was just another example of the terrifying trend of ‘gadget snatching’ that is sweeping the capital.
In April, horrifying footage was shared on social media of a thief on a bike grabbing a woman’s mobile phone from her hands in Albany Place, Marylebone.
The clip was uploaded with the caption: ‘Keep your head on swivel when in London.’
The victim is seen in the video attempting to chase after the offender while calling out: ‘Hey, come back here.’
Another cyclist in a balaclava had passed by her in the seconds beforehand.
Similarly in March, two masked thieves were seen snatching a phone and fleeing on their bikes in Hampstead, north London – before crashing into an incoming car.
Then, in February, a motorcyclist was shown on CCTV trailing a man down the pavement in Tower Bridge Road before snatching his phone and speeding off.
Last month a video showed a cyclist dressed all in black ride up to a group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End
In the video, a cyclist dressed all in black rides up to group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End
The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman’s hands and speeds off
The victim, a 28-year-old banker named Peter, later told MailOnline: ‘I just felt something on my shoulder, then a hand went straight for my phone and it was just a snatch and grab.’
Footage shows Peter lunging towards the motorcyclist trying to grab his phone, before chasing him down the street.
Last August a brazen thief on an electric bike snatched a woman’s phone in broad daylight just metres from the Ritz hotel near Green Park.
Dash cam footage showed him rushing through stationary traffic at a red light, mounting the pavement and stealing the gadget from the lone pedestrian.
The Metropolitan Police has urged Londoners to be aware of their surroundings and to use security features on their phones.
Locals warned visitors to central London to ‘watch their backs’ due to the spate of robberies. Jason Green fumed: ‘Phone thieves are the scum of the earth.’
Another, Rich, said that phone robberies are ‘getting out of control’ and asked: ‘Met Police, are you guys going to tackle this problem?’
In April, horrifying footage was shared on social media of a thief on a bike grabbing a woman’s mobile phone from her hands in Albany Place, Marylebone
He swiftly swooped to seize the mobile phone from her hands
While a third, Bert, joked: ‘London, where wing mirrors on a mobile phone is an asset.’
The Metropolitan and City of London police forces have said they are tackling the crime spree head-on.
The City of London Police said it is running a targeted operation that is disrupting phone snatching in the Square Mile.
The operation was started due to the worrying rise the force saw in phone snatching in 2022, which carried on into last and this year.
The force is even spraying criminals and their mopeds with a DNA spray in a bid to link them to crimes if they race away.
Shop owners suspected of buying stolen handsets have also been raided and the force has reintroduced a cycle team to help tackle phone snatchers.
The force has been seizing five illegal e-bikes and e-scooters every week that are known to be used by phone snatchers.
Met Commander Owain Richards said: ‘We understand the impact that mobile phone theft can have on victims. It’s an invasive and sometimes violent crime and we’re committed to protecting Londoners and tackling this issue as we make the capital safer. Our response in this case fell short of expected standards and we apologise to the victim for the service they received.
‘Met officers are targeting resources to hotspot areas, such as Westminster, Lambeth and Newham, with increased patrols and plain-clothes officers, which deter criminals and make officers more visibly available to members of the community.’
