Gangs of muggers on e-bikes are terrorising the streets of London as they target children, mothers and commuters by snatching their mobiles.
A spate of attacks has shocked many Londoners as the horrific crime wave has swept through the capital.
Just yesterday, a cyclist dressed all in black took a mobile phone out of the hands of a young woman before he sped off.
Figures have shown mobile phones reported as stolen in London every six minutes.
There were almost 91,000 phones snatched from Londoners in 2022, at an average of 248 a day, with only two per cent of the stolen devices recovered.
Yet both the Metropolitan and City of London police forces told MailOnline it was tackling the crime spree head-on.
Have YOU had your phone snatched? Email: chris.matthews@mailonline.co.uk
This is the shocking moment a thief on a bike snatches a victim’s phone from her hands in broad daylight at a bus stop in central London
Thugs on bikes have been snatching phones across, leading to fears of a crimewave
The City of London Police’s targeted operation is disrupting phone snatching in the Square Mile.
The operation was started due to the worrying rise the force saw in phone snatching in 2022, which carried on into last and this year.
The force is even spraying criminals and their mopeds with a DNA spray in a bid to link them to crimes if they race away.
Shop owners suspected of buying stolen handsets have also been raided and the force has reintroduced a cycle team to help tackle phone snatchers.
The force has been seizing five illegal e-bikes and e-scooters every week that are known to be used by phone snatchers.
Meanwhile, a Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Tackling robbery and violent crime remains a priority for the Met.
‘Operational tactics to improve mobile phone robberies and theft include maximising dedicated proactive police operations, and increasing officers in local hotspot areas to reduce mobile phone robbery and theft offences.
‘The Met is also working with local partners such as mobile phone networks, and local businesses in hotspot areas to break the cycle of stolen mobiles entering criminal markets.’
‘We know that opportunistic criminals target areas of high footfall and tourism, such as Westminster and Soho within London.
‘To combat mobile phone robberies, we have specialist teams of both uniformed officers and detectives who attend robbery calls quickly, search the area with victims and witnesses for suspects, and help to secure CCTV and forensic evidence to support mobile phone robberies and investigations.’
‘We advise everyone to remain vigilant of their surroundings in crowded areas and on the transport network.
‘All robberies should be reported to the police straight away, and within ”The Golden Hour” [the time directly after an incident] by dialling 999.
‘The Met’s website has a list of steps to help protect your mobile phone, and to support you from becoming a victim of crime.’
In the video, a cyclist dressed all in black rides up to group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End
The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman’s hands and speeds off
On Monday, a video went viral that showed a cyclist dressed all in black ride up to a group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End.
The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman’s hands and speeds off.
At the start of the clip – which has been shared widely on TikTok and X – the thief can be seen riding alongside another cyclist who is also dressed all in black.
The incident was just the latest example of the terrifying trend of ‘gadget snatching’ that is sweeping the capital.
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.
The thief was seen approaching his unsuspecting victim on a bike from behind as she walked along Albany Street in central London
He swiftly swooped to seize the mobile phone from her hands
The clip was uploaded with the caption: ‘Keep your head on swivel when in London.’
The victim is seen in the video attempting to chase after the offender while calling out: ‘Hey, come back here.’
Another cyclist in a balaclava had passed by her in the seconds beforehand.
Similarly in March, two masked thieves were seen snatching a phone and fleeing on their bikes in Hampstead, north London – before crashing into an incoming car.
Then in February a motorcyclist was shown on CCTV trailing a man down the pavement in Tower Bridge Road before snatching his phone and speeding off.
The victim, a 28-year-old banker named Peter, later told MailOnline: ‘I just felt something on my shoulder, then a hand went straight for my phone and it was just a snatch and grab.’
Footage shows Peter lunging towards the motorcyclist trying to grab his phone, before chasing him down the street.
Last August a brazen thief on an electric bike snatched a woman’s phone in broad daylight just metres from the Ritz hotel near Green Park.
Dash cam footage showed him rushing through stationary traffic at a red light, mounting the pavement and stealing the gadget from the lone pedestrian.
The Metropolitan Police has urged Londoners to be aware of their surroundings and to use security features on their phones.
