Overview

• The Metropolitan Police reported a staggering 151% increase in phone snatching incidents in London last year, with over 70,000 cases recorded.
• High-profile victims of phone thefts include actress Rosamund Pike, who was mugged and punched in the face by a thief on a bicycle in 2006, leaving her and her mother distressed.
• Recent police operations have shown progress, with phone thefts decreasing by 27% in November and 43% in December 2024, following targeted measures like increased CCTV monitoring and traffic unit deployments.
• The City of Westminster remains the worst-hit borough, recording 18,863 phone theft incidents in 2023, followed by Camden and Southwark.
• Authorities, including London's Deputy Mayor for Policing, are urging tech companies to implement measures to make stolen phones harder to sell or repurpose.