Masked phone-snatching gangs using 70mph e-bikes are fuelling a surge in mobile thefts with more than stolen on average every day across the UK, The Independent can reveal. Data obtained through Freedom of Information requests shows there were at least 83, phone theft offences recorded in the 12 months to July last year β almost double the 45, five years previously.
At the epicentre of the crime wave is London , where thefts more than doubled to 65, last year over the five-year period.
Chairing a summit on smartphone theft, Ms Cooper also said targeted police action would be stepped up and called on tech companies including Apple, Google and Samsung to improve mobile device security measures. That has to change. The figures obtained by The Independent from 29 forces show the Metropolitan Police dealt with more than three-quarters of all mobile phone thefts 64, last year, followed by Kent Police 1, , South Yorkshire Police 1, and Lancashire Police 1, Essex Police and West Yorkshire Police recorded 1, and 1, respectively, while City of London police, which covers the central region of the capital, saw 1, offences.
Nottinghamshire Police and Bedfordshire Police recorded 1, and 1, incidents respectively. Forces covering large rural areas such as Cumbria and Gloucestershire recorded fewer incidents, with and 34 logged. The Met and City of London also recorded 12, robbery offences, such as muggings, for mobile phones in the month period to July last year β up from 11, five years previously. On Thursday morning, a suspected thief riding a Sur-Ron e-bike was found with at least eight mobile phones after being stopped by security staff in Smithfield in London.
Christopher Bramah-Calvert had his iPhone 13 snatched from his hands by an e-bike rider outside a gym in High Holborn in central London last year. The city worker, who is one of dozens to have spoken up about their experience in a bid to raise awareness, later tracked the device to China, before he was sent a threatening video asking him to disconnect it from his Apple account. Other victims include Labour MP Chris Webb, who was mugged for his phone while on his way back to his London flat, and a woman who managed to recover her device after pursuing two suspects in north London.
