Shoppers who have their mobile phones stolen on the fashionable King’s Road, like Christine Lampard, won’t get them back, say security guards who work in the upmarket boutiques targeted by street thieves.
After the Loose Women presenter Christine revealed how a security guard shrugged and said, ‘there’s at least 30 a day stolen out here,’ after she had her phone snatched while shopping along the exclusive road in Chelsea, southwest London, others warned they are powerless to stop the thefts.
Christine, 45 described being the victim of the mobile phone crime wave sweeping the capital while speaking with fellow Loose Women, Olivia Attwood, Judi Love, and Brenda Edwards, about policing and Keir Starmer‘s right to prioritise ‘physical crime’ after journalists were arrested over social media posts.
After implying that the security guard did nothing to help, Christine said: ‘I can understand I’m not going to have a police task force looking for my phone for me.’
Latest figures show a surge in mobile thefts across the capital with nearly 52,000 stolen last year, the bulk of them in areas like the King’s Road which attract tourists and have wealthy residents.
And security guards in fashion retailers along the King’s Road warned that there is not much they can do about it.
Known for art, fashion and music, the trendy Chelsea street is lined with top end boutiques and stylish cafes, many of which have their own security guards.
Street enforcement officers from the local authority also patrol the area to support the police in tackling crime.
Shoppers who have their mobile phones stolen on the fashionable King’s Road won’t get them back warn security guards who work in the upmarket boutiques targeted by street thieves
Natalie Mercado-Tinker revealed she keeps her phone safe by hanging it around her neck
But they warned that once your phone has been snatched, they are powerless to intervene.
One enforcement officer who did not want to be named said: ‘Mobile phones get stolen here all the time but it’s not safe for us to confront the criminals and we don’t have any powers of arrest. So, there’s nothing we can do.
‘The thieves are usually on e-bikes, and we can’t even chase after them.
‘I feel sorry for Christine but anyone coming into central London should be warned that if your mobile gets stolen, not much is going to be done about it and you’re not going to get it back.
‘That’s not our fault, it’s the police’s job to catch the criminals.’
A private security guard in a King’s Road shop said: ‘We see mobiles being stolen all the time outside the shop but there’s nothing we can do.
‘If something happens inside our premises, then we do act but most of the thefts happen as people are wandering along with their phones in their hands.
‘We don’t have any powers to confront criminals outside the shop so just have to stand there as they get away with robbing people.
Known for art, fashion and music, the trendy Chelsea street is lined with top end boutiques and stylish cafes, many of which have their own security guards
Latest crime figures show the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where the King’s Road is located, is amongst the top ten most dangerous boroughs in London, despite containing some of the country’s most expensive properties and wealthiest people
Shoppers were spotted out and about in the King’s Road holding their mobile phones in their hands, as theft figures surge in the borough
‘It’s very frustrating because our hands are tied.’
Earlier this year, former Neighbours actress and singer Holly Valance also revealed that she had been robbed of her mobile phone on the King’s Road, where she lives and so had several of her friends.
Slamming London mayor Sadiq Khan for letting crime ‘get out of control’ she said: ‘All of us have been robbed on King’s Road in our area.
‘I just had my phone taken out of the pram, like stealing off a mum with her baby in the pram is pretty low stuff.
‘I wasn’t hurt, fortunately, but yes, I’ve had friends get belted for their phones and watches and home raids and trying to kick in doors.’
Residents, shoppers and those who work in the area all told MailOnline they now took extra precautions when it came to their mobile phones while out along the King’s Road.
Natalie Mercado-Tinker, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years, was walking along with her phone hanging around her neck.
She said: ‘I’m very worried that it might get stolen because it’s happened to a lot of people I know around here.
Kazuyuki Yanagibashi, visiting from Japan, said he was ‘a lot more guarded with my mobile phone in London’
A breakdown of the statistics reveals that shoplifting is the number one crime along the King’s Road followed by theft from a person, which includes mobile phones and then vehicle crime
Builder Hetem Muzaci revealed that he always kept his mobile phone in a zipped pocket and never walked around with it in his hand
‘It’s not safe to have your mobile phone in your hand or in your bag, that’s just the way it is in many areas of central London.
‘I bought this special case last year and it only cost me £5 but I feel safer having the phone around my neck. I think the police and the council should do more to catch these criminals but sadly, that’s not happening.’
She added: ‘You rarely see the police on patrol and there’s not many enforcement officers out and about either.’
Kazuyuki Yanagibashi, who was visiting from Japan said: ‘I’m a lot more guarded with my mobile phone in London.
‘Generally, it’s a safe city but I don’t feel very comfortable walking around with my mobile in my hand. That’s just asking for trouble.
‘I’ve got friends who’ve had their mobiles stolen in London but luckily, that hasn’t happened to me. In Japan, we don’t have this problem because things are a lot safer there.’
Builder Hetem Muzaci revealed that he always kept his mobile phone in a zipped pocket and never walked around with it in his hand.
He said: ‘I’m actually quite a big man and pretty strong and if anybody tried to steal my mobile phone from me, I wouldn’t be afraid to fight them to get it back.
In London as a whole, more than 52,000 phones were stolen last year
Overall, phone thefts rose by 20 per cent last year across the whole of England and Wales
Loose Women panellist Christine Lampard claimed she was robbed on King’s Road in Chelsea, southwest London while she was out shopping
‘But I don’t want to get involved in a situation like that and am worried that I could be targeted.
‘So, it’s better to be cautious because a lot of mobile phone theft is happening not just along the King’s Road but all over London.’
While on Loose Women, Christine spoke about how she believes London is turning into ‘Gotham City’ as muggings and robberies become more frequent.
She also said she thinks there is a huge ‘disconnect’ between the police and the public and that there should be more officers on the streets.
Janet, who was heading to her job in a King’s Road café, agreed.
She said: ‘You never see the police around here and they don’t seem to be bothered about catching criminals. The council’s enforcement officers aren’t much better either.
‘The only time I’ve seen the enforcement officers get worked up about anything was when somebody stole a plant from a fancy restaurant on the King’s Road and they asked me if I knew anything about it. But what about tackling real crime?’
Latest crime figures show that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where the King’s Road is located is amongst the top ten most dangerous boroughs in London, despite containing some of the country’s most expensive properties and wealthiest people.
CCTV shows the shocking moment a woman was thrown to the ground as thieves grabbed her mobile phone from her in King’s Road, London
Having grabbed the device, the pair can be seen shoving their victim to the ground
The pair responsible for the brazen daylight attack then ran off past the other boutiques
A breakdown of the statistics reveals that shoplifting is the number one crime along the King’s Road followed by theft from a person, which includes mobile phones and then vehicle crime.
But when it comes to mobile phone thefts, the two-mile long road is by no means the worst in the capital.
Figures released earlier this year showed that the City of Westminster, where tourists flock for theatre shows and high-end shopping, was London’s phone theft hotspot 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.
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.
Overall, 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.
But London is by far the worst affected city in England and Wales.
Latest figures show London is by far the worst affected city in England and Wales for mobile phone theft
Figures show 165,933 mobile phone thefts were reported to the Metropolitan Police between January 1, 2019, and December 31 last year
Security guards in fashion retailers along the King’s Road have warned that there is not much they can do about mobile phone theft