Phone thefts hit record high in London with 37 a day snatched in West End alone
London's phone crime epidemic has reached an all time high – with more than 81,000 thefts reported last year.
Data shared by the Met Police revealed that 37 people have their phones snatched in the West End alone each day.
Victims are habitually targeted at key visitor hotspots, with just under half of the devices (40,000) taken in 2024 stolen in the capital's cultural hub, an area which also accounts for a third of all thefts in London.
The Scotland Yard figures showed a 20 per cent increase in year on year phone theft reports.
More than 230,000 phones have been reported stolen in the capital over the last four years.
But the true picture remains unknown, as many unreported crimes mean the total figure is likely to be far higher.
Stolen devices often fall in the hands of criminal gangs that sell them overseas or dismantle them for parts in a £50million black market.
Many thefts are carried out by thieves on electric bikes or pickpockets.
As well as near popular night life spots in the West End, other theft hotspots include Bloomsbury, Waterloo and Regent's Park.
People are advised to stay on well lit streets which are more likely to have CCTV coverage and keep all valuable items out of sight.
The Met's new Flying Squad unit arrested ten people involved in phone snatching gangs this week.
Addressing concerns that police aren't probing cases enough, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said that officers often lack sufficient information and evidence to start criminal proceedings.
Forces instead focus on pursuing gangs, frequent offenders and preventivemeasures, a spokesman told the Times.
Tech firms are also investigating ways to make their devices watertight against criminals, including tools to allow owners to remotely lock and wipe their phones.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
A spokesperson for the Met said that while phone thefts had 'boomed globally', reported cases were 15 per cent down in London in the first two months of this year compared to the same period in 2024. More Trending
They said: 'We understand phone theft is still a serious problem and has boomed globally. London is not immune, and we are determined to target criminal gangs – many of whom steal phones and sell them overseas.
'We are continuing to step up our work to prevent and tackle this issue, with increased patrols and plain clothed officers in hotspot areas to deter and catch criminals. We're also improving the way we as track phone data to identify offenders.
'Since January 2025, we've made 526 arrests of offenders suspected of mobile phone and theft robbery.'
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Missing woman's body found on beach 140 miles from where she vanished last year
MORE: Rare new statue of black woman unveiled in London – who is she?
MORE: Perverts who live streamed sex attack on teen girl in van walks free from court
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Counter-terror cops won't prosecute Kneecap over ‘kill your MP' video that sparked furious backlash
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CONTROVERSIAL hip hop group Kneecap will not be prosecuted by terror cops over their "kill your MP" remarks. The Irish band - who the BBC refused to broadcast live at Glastonbury yesterday - were subject of a terror probe by the Met Police. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up It related to a video which emerged last month calling for the death of British politicians. The trio responded with a grovelling statement, insisting they would not incite violence against any individual. And the Met Police has now said is will not proceed with the case for a number of reasons, including the "time elapsed between the events in the video and the video being brought to police attention". The force said: "A thorough investigation has now been completed by detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command, which included interviewing an individual under caution and seeking early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. "A range of offences were considered as part of the investigation. "However, given the time elapsed between the events in the video and the video being brought to police attention, any potential summary only offences were beyond the statutory time limit for prosecution. "Relevant indictable offences were considered by the investigation team and, based on all of the current evidence available, a decision has been made that no further action will be taken at this time."
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Counter-terror cops won't prosecute Kneecap over ‘kill your MP' video that sparked furious backlash
CONTROVERSIAL hip hop group Kneecap will not be prosecuted by terror cops over their "kill your MP" remarks. The Irish band - who the BBC refused to broadcast live at Glastonbury yesterday - were subject of a terror probe by the Met Police. It related to a video which emerged last month calling for the death of British politicians. The trio responded with a grovelling statement, insisting they would not incite violence against any individual. And the Met Police has now said is will not proceed with the case for a number of reasons, including the "time elapsed between the events in the video and the video being brought to police attention". The force said: "A thorough investigation has now been completed by detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command, which included interviewing an individual under caution and seeking early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. "A range of offences were considered as part of the investigation. "However, given the time elapsed between the events in the video and the video being brought to police attention, any potential summary only offences were beyond the statutory time limit for prosecution. "Relevant indictable offences were considered by the investigation team and, based on all of the current evidence available, a decision has been made that no further action will be taken at this time." 1
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Police officer told a woman he met on Tinder he would kidnap, rape and murder her in chilling echo to the Sarah Everard case, a court heard
A police officer told a woman he met on Tinder that he would kidnap, rape and murder her in a chilling echo to the Sarah Everard case, a court has heard. Andrew Holmes was a serving officer with Hampshire Police when he made the 'menacing and disgusting' comment to a woman he had started speaking to on the dating app. During the conversation in August last year, the 32-year-old said that if they met up he would kidnap, rape and murder her and burn her body. The shocked victim reported the incident to police, particularly given that he had told her he was a policeman. Holmes, 32, was spared prison but a district judge said it was 'astonishing' he thought that his comments were appropriate against the background of the Sarah Everard case. Ms Everard was abducted, raped and murdered by serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021, in a case that shocked the UK. Poole Magistrates' Court heard that Holmes had engaged in a 'short conversation' with the woman on Tinder last year. In a statement, the victim said that when they initially reported the incident to the police, they 'didn't feel like it had affected me that much'. Holmes (pictured), 32, was arrested by fellow officers at his home in Southampton, two days later on August 18. He was spared prison but a district judge said it was 'astonishing' he thought that his comments were appropriate against the background of the Sarah Everard case Describing the comments as 'vulgar and disgusting', the statement, read by Leah Dillon, prosecuting, added: 'Although he had told me he was a police officer I was really hoping he wasn't as I didn't want to believe a police officer would say such awful things. 'When the police told me he was an officer and had been arrested it really shook me up. I started to think what would have happened if we had met up. 'It made me feel so uneasy, especially the rape comment as this is something that happens to women on dating sites.' The victim, who did not know Holmes prior to their 'short' interaction, also shared how the comments by Holmes had 'knocked' their confidence. They added: 'I've not been on any dating sites since this incident and have no plans to. 'I don't know why he felt he could say this thing to me, as well as not knowing what his true intentions were.' Holmes was arrested by fellow officers at his home in Southampton two days later, on August 18. Officers also discovered an extendable police baton in his bedside drawer he was not meant to have. Holmes maintained that it was a joke and denied sending an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message by public communication network. He did, however, admit to having an offensive weapon in a private place. Found guilty of the charges following the trial, Holmes was sacked from his job following a misconduct hearing in March. Rosa Bennathan, defending, described Mr Holmes as a 'man of good character'. She said: 'That loss of good character will be significant. The loss of his career through his actions. 'When she said she was unhappy with the messages, he immediately apologised and sought to reassure her, he has expressed real significant remorse.' Ms Bennathan also said that batons were kept in an area of the police station where individuals left unused equipment and that officers would often take things as spares. She added: 'He intended to use it as a spare, took it home with him and forgot he had done so. He accepts he should not have been storing that kind of police equipment at home.' The court also heard that Holmes is beginning to 're-establish' a 'relationship' with a woman, Ms Sarah Hocking. Having met on a dating site, the pair have known each other for eight years, with Ms Hocking describing Holmes as 'consistently kind and supportive'. Ms Bennathan added: 'He and Sarah Hocking are beginning to re-establish their relationship, move back in together and discuss a family. 'He is mortified, he will not commit similar offending in the future and he's not a risk to the public.' Judge Mike Snow told Holmes that there was 'no possibility' that his comments 'could reasonably be taken as a joke'. Directly addressing the former police officer, he said:' You were a serving police officer on August 16, 2024. 'Taking place against the background of the Sarah Everard case, I find it astonishing anyone would ever think it was appropriate to send two messages referencing kidnap, rape, murder and burning of the body. 'It had a very profound effect on your victim. She has left dating sites because of fear she will come across somebody who will behave in a similar way.' The judge added that while this was the 'most serious category' which carries jail time, he would grant suspension due to Holmes' previous good character and real prospect of rehabilitation. Holmes was given a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £500 compensation to the victim and prosecution costs of £650. He was also ordered to pay a £200 fine for the police baton offence and £154 victim surcharge. Hampshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Tony Rowlinson said: 'It is inconceivable to me that someone who has identified themselves as a police officer, while off duty, could ever feel it would be appropriate to make menacing comments like this to somebody they have just met. 'PC Holmes may have not intended to cause emotional or psychological harm to the woman, however he should have foreseen there was a risk of such harm. 'This sort of behaviour undermines trust and confidence, in particular in relation to the perception of women and girls, and the trust they can have in a male officer to treat them with respect and take their reports seriously.'
