London phone thefts hit record high with 37 people having mobiles stolen every DAY in the West End alone

Phone thefts in London have hit a record high with a shocking 37 people having their mobile stolen every day in the capital’s West End alone.

New data has revealed that almost 231,000 phone thefts and robberies were recorded over the past four years in the capital, a threefold increase.

The epicentre for these brazen crimes is in the world’s theatre capital, the West End, a magnet for tourists where around 40,000 phones were reported stolen over the same period, data by the Metropolitan Police shows.

Phone thefts in London have soared to record levels, with organised gangs targeting busy areas like the West End and St James’s, where luxury streets and royal residences sit side by side with swarms of unsuspecting tourists and shoppers. 

One major hotspot identified is the area surrounding St James’s Park, where Piccadilly and Haymarket meet Pall Mall and Clarence House, home to exclusive members’ clubs and high-profile buildings.

Analysis by The Times show the West End and St James’s now account for a third of all phone thefts reported in the capital, up from a quarter in 2021.

Scotland Yard figures show a staggering 81,256 mobile phone crimes were recorded in 2023, a 20 per cent year-on-year rise, and the highest on record. 

Police believe the true number is even higher, as many incidents go unreported.

The shocking moment a phone snatcher is captured being knocked off his bike by furious Londoners before losing a shoe that police later used to catch him was caught on CCTV.

The man, wearing running clothes, was on his phone as the thief brazenly mounted onto the pavement and quickly snatched it from him

Another terrifying phone snatch which happened in London last year

Other major hotspots include Bloomsbury, Holborn, Covent Garden, Shoreditch, Borough, London Bridge, Waterloo, South Bank, Camden Town, Regent’s Park and Stratford.

Since 2022, theft rates have risen in more than 200 suburbs across the capital — meaning over a third of London is now affected by the growing crisis.

Most thefts are carried out by gangs on electric bikes, who either snatch phones directly from people’s hands or operate in crowded areas to pickpocket victims.

Police say the surge is fuelled by international black markets, where stolen devices are either sold on or stripped for parts — an illicit industry now worth over £50 million a year.

Officers are urging Londoners to stick to well-lit, busy areas, remain alert, and keep valuables out of sight to avoid falling prey to the increasingly brazen criminals.

As previously reported the shocking moment a phone snatcher is captured being knocked off his bike by furious Londoners before losing a shoe that police later used to catch him was caught on CCTV.

Spencer Duarte, of Saffron Walden, was tackled off his e-bike by members of the public after he stole a phone from an innocent victim’s hand in Ludgate Hill, London, on August 7 last year.

Dramatic video footage showed the moment a quick-thinking pedestrian leapt into the street and intercepted the robber, who fell into the road while on his bike.

The moment  a phone thief chased and tackle by a Chinese man

Duarte, who initially stood up and was able to get back on his bike, was then chased down by two more members of the public. Cornered on the side of the pavement, he was pulled from his bike a second time as he attempted to flee.

The phone thief, dressed in a flourescent top and helmet, then proceeded to run across the road away from the furious Londoners.

In a last minute attempt at halting the robber, another four pedestrians reached out to try and grab hold of Duarte, who darted at speed between the different men before making a successful exit down the road.

During the ensuing struggle, Duarte lost a shoe, which police detectives later used to catch him for his crimes as a result of the DNA it held.

The 28-year-old, who was spotted and arrested by Metropolitan Police officers on September 9, admitted to one count of theft at Inner London Crown Court this week.

He also accepted that he had items in his rucksack going equipped to steal.

Duarte is due to be sentenced on September 12.

Dubbed the ‘Cinderella phone snatcher’, Andrew Walker, physical forensics manager of the City of London Police, described how Duarte was ultimately caught as a result of his trainer being left at the scene.

He said: ‘We were able to get sufficient levels of DNA from the shoe to obtain a single, major profile that was suitable for searching against the national DNA database.

‘This search generated a ‘hit’ to a male whose profile had previously been uploaded.

‘The slipper fitted our Cinderella and we were able to bring him before the courts.’

Meanwhile, dramatic scene unfolded in Westminster where a cyclist, wearing all black clothes, overtook some cars on the road before suddenly swerving to the left.

The video shows the cyclist clearly turning their attention towards a pedestrian walking on the pavement.

The man, wearing running clothes, was on his phone as the thief brazenly mounted onto the pavement and quickly snatched it from him.

The victim puts his hands to his head in disbelief before making a belated attempt to run after the thief.