The Metropolitan Police have claimed they are cracking down on phone snatchings and have made hundreds of arrests in the past year.
In the past two years, phone theft has been rising at a rapid rate, reaching an all-time high, with over 117,000 thefts being reported in 2024 and around 27,000 reports being made at the beginning of 2025 alone.
Police vowed to tackle this issue, and according to the the Met, they have cut phone-related offences by 10,000, seized over 700 stolen phones and made around 370 arrests in connection with a wider operation.
Commander Andrew Featherstone, the Met’s lead for tackling phone theft, said: “We understand phone theft is a major concern for Londoners, and that’s why our officers are relentlessly focused on tackling it head-on.
“Londoners deserve to feel safe, and we will keep fighting back against the thieves and criminal gangs fueling this crime.”
London has been the city with the highest rates of phone theft, causing a great deal of worry for residents.
The Met Police also received the highest number of phone theft reports in 2024, with a staggering 61,000 reports compared to other forces’ significantly smaller numbers.
This vast comparison highlights how it has become such a serious situation for those in the city.
The rise in thefts has led to phones becoming the most commonly stolen item, according to the Office for National Statistics.
University student Ben Hughes had his phone stolen outside of Beckton DLR station in February.
He said: “I still feel highly anxious, and walk around gripping my phone.
“Going out has become a chore and has caused me to stay inside more, and just avoid going outside unless it is something important.
“I rarely use my phone outside, and when I do, I am constantly waiting for someone to steal it again, especially when I hear a bike noise or someone rushing past me.
“I am traumatised and don’t really like going out anymore, which isn’t good as I’m already and homebody or introvert, so this just made me lose all trust for other and made me very anxious.
“All police can do is open an investigation, how can they know who they are when they can’t see their face, can’t track the phone?”
As of this year, the Met Police have begun to implement new methods of tackling phone thefts.
These include deploying newer technology such as drones, Sur-Ron e-bikes, and live facial recognition.
Drones were initially deployed in October of Last year, and they are able to feed live footage to officers, aid in identifying offenders, and guide police to deal with them faster.
The use of electric bikes has also prove as amore agile and easier way to keep up with suspects.
These were introduced two years ago after police realised that these were what offenders used to carry out phone thefts.
These new methods have aided the police in efforts to intensify their response to the phone theft crisis, as well as connect these crimes to larger organisations.
This led to six people being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to rob in April, after being witnessed by plainclothes officers.
The rise in arrests underlines how the Metropolitan Police are determined to lower the rates of phone theft in the capital.
Feature image: Free to use from Unsplash
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