London's phone epidemic has claimed yet another victim after a crook swiftly swiped a man's mobile phone as he strolled the capital's most famous roads.
The unsuspecting man was strolling along Park Lane, Mayfair in West London - a stone's throw away from a £1,345-a-night hotel, when he was targeted by the thief.
CCTV footage captured the brazen crime on June 29,only 50 metres away from the lavish five-star Dorchester Hotel, opposite Hyde Park.
As the victim scrolled through his phone on the sunny morning this Monday, a man on an electric bike can be seen swooping in and quickly rushing away with the device.
Seemingly in shock and confused, the disgruntled victim does not even attempt to give chase as the thief speeds away down the pavement.
The unsuspecting man was strolling along Park Lane, Mayfair in West London - a stone's throw away from the £1,345-a-night, five star The Dorchester hotel
As the victim scrolled through his phone on the sunny morning this Monday, the sly thief swoops in quickly rushing away with the device on Monday morning
Reacting to the shocking footage, social media users urged Londoners to stay vigilant of phone thieves.
'I've done something similar before in Knightsbridge, made the thief eat some humble pie before returning the phone to the poor tourist,' quipped one.
Another added: 'Be aware, be 360 degrees aware.'
Police were called about the theft at 10.45 on the day of the incident. No arrests have been made but enquires continue.
A Met police spokesperson said: '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 phones to target offenders as we fight community crime.
They added: '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.
This brazen theft happened on 6 June on a busy road near Tavistock Square in Marylebone, central London, just a short distance from Euston Station and the British Museum
'We encourage people to report as soon as they can whenever they have been a victim of mobile phone theft, so officers can attend the scene and investigate swiftly.'
This the most recent incident in a shocking wave of phone theft which has swept through London.
One video captured in Marylebone in June, shows an unsuspecting woman having her phone snatched out of her hands by a man clad in black on an e-bike in June.
Her attempt to give chase was futile as the thief raced off on an e-bike capable of speeds up to 30 miles per hour.
The shocking theft happened on 6 June on a busy road near Tavistock Square in Marylebone, central London, just a short distance from Euston Station and the British Museum.
Recently a map revealed the hotspots London is by far the worst affected city by this phone theft epidemic in England and Wales, with criminals targeting wealthy shoppers and foreign tourists.
Nearly 52,000 devices were stolen in the capital last year alone as criminals on mopeds and e-bikes use violence and distraction techniques to target victims.
The worst-hit borough was the City of Westminster, where tourists flock for theatre shows and high-end shopping, with 18,863 reported incidents in the year to December - up 47 per cent from 12,836 in the previous 12 months.
In April, horrifying footage was shared on social media of a thief on a bike grabbing a woman's mobile phone from her hands in Albany Place, Marylebone
Camden was the second worst affected, with 4,806 incidents, followed by Southwark (4,376), Hackney (2,761), Newham (2,585), Lambeth (2,394) and Islington (2,117). In London as a whole more than 52,000 phones were stolen last year.
Figures show 165,933 mobile phone thefts were reported to the Metropolitan Police between January 1, 2019 and December 31 last year - making up 52 per cent of the total in England and Wales.
Phone thefts rose by 20 per cent last year across England and Wales as a whole, according to figures released after a freedom of information request by The Times.
Police forces recorded 316,683 incidents between January 1, 2019 and December 31 last year, although the total will be higher because six forces failed to respond to the request and three refused to.
How to protect your mobile from e-bike i-jackers
Criminals often use bikes and mopeds to snatch mobile phones from people, particularly at busy locations such as outside stations, shopping centres or concert venues. Often victims are approached from behind while talking or texting on phones. Criminals on mopeds or bicycles may mount the pavement to grab the phone or snatch it from the road. Sometimes when it's a moped, a pillion passenger will snatch it.
While most thefts happen between six and ten at night, criminals operate during the day too, so always look out for what's going on around you.
The Metropolitan Police has urged people to follow these steps to protect your phone:
Be aware of your surroundings
- If you need to call or use your phone on the street, look out for anyone on a bike or a moped near you. Look up, look out
- Make it quick so you don't become distracted
- Don't text while you're walking – you won't notice what's going on around you
- If that's not possible, stand away from the roadside, close to a building or wall, so no one can come up behind you
- Going hands-free can prevent a thief from snatching your phone out of your hand
Use security features on your phone
- You must switch on your phone's security features to protect your phone
- Use the keypad lock so that thieves cannot immediately access your phone, or use the biometric authentication if your phone has it (fingerprint or facial recognition)
- Your phone may have other security features you can use – these could allow you to wipe data, lock your handset, or prevent a thief from restoring a phone to its factory settings from another internet device
- Consider installing an anti-theft app. These can be an effective way of helping police trace your phone and identify the thief
Know how to identify your phone if it's stolen
- Every phone has an IMEI number which helps police and insurance companies to identify it if it's stolen. UK network operators can also stop a stolen phone from working across their networks with its IMEI
- Find your IMEI number by dialling *#06# from your phone and keep a written note of it; if the phone is stolen, report the number to your mobile provider to stop it being used
- Register your valuables on an accredited property database.
Never confront a thief or risk your own safety for the sake of your mobile
Source: The Metropolitan Police
