Moment masked phone thief gets instant karma after snatching device in front of undercover Met Police officers

Daily Mail​

13-05-2025

This is the satisfying moment a phone thief was pinched by undercover cops after shamelessly stealing someone's phone.
The masked thug was seen legging it down a busy road next to bustling London Bridge station when an unmarked police vehicle spotted the thief running.
The small black car was driving in the opposite direction down Tooley Street but quickly swung round to chase the suspect.
Smugly thinking they got away with it, the thief and his friend had slowed to walk as they approached a crossing.
The undercover cop car pulls in front and an officer immediately jumps out, sprinting after the thieving pair who soon realise what has happened.
As karma would have it, the plain-clothed officer then pulls him to the ground before arresting the masked thug - less than 60 seconds after he first snatched the mobile.
Luckily, the owner then gets their phone back in a fortunate twist of fate.
But most won't be so lucky, as the capital saw more than 70,000 phones stolen in 2024, according to Met Police statistics.
It is thought phone snatching could cost consumers up to £70 million each year but is thought to thought to be a significant underestimate of the true scale of the problem, as the data only includes thefts reported to the force.
Mobile phone thefts have tripled in the last four years as criminal gang members riding e-bikes help fuel a booming export trade to countries including China and Nigeria.
Shockingly some 40 percent of all London phone snatches take place in Westminster and the West End.
Despite being some of the most exclusive postcodes in the capital no one is too famous, too rich, or too beloved by the British public for these shameless yobs to be diverted from stealing lavish goods.
It comes as Jenson Button's wife, Brittany, revealed she now feels 'unsafe' in the bustling city after her suitcase rammed with £250,000 of lavish jewellery and designer handbags was stolen outside of St Pancras station.
The 34-year-old explained how the ex-Formula One driver was helping the chauffeur load the car when a man swooped in and sped away with her Goyard carry-on suitcase in mere seconds.
The former Playboy model told MailOnline that neither she nor her husband had any interest in returning to the UK following their ordeal, adding: 'It just feels so unsafe... and its just unfortunate because that's where my children's grandmother and aunts live.'
Brittany Button, Jenson Button's wife, had over £250,000 worth of items stolen by a crook after alighting the EuroStar (pictured in 2016)
From Made in Chelsea stars like Jamie Laing to Loose Women's Christine Lampard, gangs are known to rip shiny Rolexes from the wrists of unassuming pedestrians, snatch pricey mobile phones out of hands and even smash car windows for £1,000 Stone Island jackets.
And it was only in March that TV personality Jamie Laing revealed he had been robbed once again, just a week after his Notting Hill home was targeted by balaclava-wearing intruders.
Shortly after the terrifying ordeal, where he and his wife Sophie Habboo, 30, were woken up to 6am by louds bangs, he discovered his car had been broken into.
Speaking on his Radio 1 show, Jamie said: 'So, I live in London, I was with my wife Sophie and we went to get in our car.
'It's parked around the place we live, and it's London right, things maybe go missing occasionally or whatever.
'I walked up to the car, and the car looked a little bit funny, the door was slightly open, and I was like, 'hang on a second, has someone managed to get into the car?'
'Came up to the car and we had been robbed. They left the pineapple in one seat and the melon in another seat. I said to my wife, 'did you leave these in the car?' and she was like, 'no?', so I don't know if it's a sign or the mark they leave.'
And in Knightsbridge, a Tesla car owner also fell victim to theft after a masked cyclist smashed the vehicle's rear window and stole a £1,000 Stone Island jacket, which was recently purchased from Harrods.
Shocking footage obtained from the expensive American car shows up the moment the brazen thief spotted the car, parked up his bike and then smashed the back window.
The CCTV system gave a clear picture of the cycling thief's body, but due to his face covering, police have almost no chance of a description as all that was visible was his eyes.
The Met Police have been contacted for comment but commander Owain Richards had previously told MailOnline: '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.
'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.
'We continue to use data and technology to build intelligence and track stolen items to target offenders. We are also working with phone firms to 'design out' the ability for phones to be reused and sold on as we seek to dismantle the criminal market that fuels robbery and theft.
'We encourage people to report as soon as they can whenever they have been a victim of mobile phone theft, so officers can investigate swiftly.'