Phone snatchers have been caught in the act of stealing a device from a man in the affluent London area of Hampstead.
Shocking images show how two thieves, with their faces covered, riding a moped mounted the pavement and grabbed the phone out of a man’s hand.
The pair are said to have then gone on to snatch two further phones from unwitting victims as they drove in the direction of Camden.
It comes amid an epidemic of phone snatching in cities across the UK, with a particular focus on London, where mobile phone thefts have tripled in the last four years.
More than 70,000 phones were snatched in the streets of London alone in 2024, out of an estimated 100,000 thefts across the UK.
Some 70,137 devices were reported stolen amid a scourge of criminal gangs using e-bikes and scooters to tot up high numbers of phones to sell abroad for parts.
It is thought phone snatching could cost consumers up to £70 million each year.
Now new photos captured on Thursday show how two brazen thieves snatched three phones in just minutes while riding past pedestrians on a black moped.
Shocking images show how two thieves, with their faces covered, riding a moped mounted the pavement and grabbed the phone out a man’s hand.
The man attempted to chase after the moped-riding thieves, but to no avail
The pair, both clad all in black and wearing balaclavas that revealed just their eyes, worked as a slick team to grab phones out of users’ hands before they realised they were at risk.
One man was seen trying desperately to hold on to his handset as it was swiped, before the speed and momentum of the moped got the better of him.
The man attempted to chase after the moped as it careered down the pavement, but the driver rejoined the road and weaved in and out of traffic and away.
The thieves drove off in the direction of Camden, with witnesses stating they snatched another two phones along the way.
The Met has taken efforts to ramp up its response to the phone snatching gangs, and have increased plain-clothed officer patrols in the hardest hit areas.
Last month, the force arrested 230 people and seized 1,000 devices in a week-long blitz.
An increase in patrols and operations have been carried out in hotspot areas, including the West End and Westminster, where the Met says nearly 40 percent of phone thefts occur.
Government is also looking at the issue, with the Crime and Policing Bill including measures that will allow officers to conduct a property search immediately, rather than having to wait for a search warrant in suspected phone thefts.
The thieves were clad all in black and wore balaclavas to hide their identities
The men are said to have then snatched two further phones on their way towards Camden, north London
Some 70,137 devices were stolen in London last year amid a scourge of criminal gangs using e-bikes and scooters to tot up high numbers of phones to sell abroad for parts
The officers will still need the approval of a senior to conduct a search.
The stolen handsets are often ending up on the other side of the world in countries such as China and Nigeria.
Kaya Comer-Schwartz, London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said personal robbery was down 13 per cent in the capital compared to figures in the same period last year.
But she admitted ‘there is more to do’, saying: ‘As the criminal demand for high-value mobile phones continues to grow globally, the Mayor and I are clear that companies must go further and faster to make it harder for stolen phones to be sold on, repurposed and re-used illegally.
‘We’ll continue to work with leading mobile phone companies, the Home Secretary and Met leaders to find innovative solutions to end the scourge of mobile phone crime.
‘Increased patrols in Westminster saw 17 arrests for robbery and theft, following 42 Stop and Searches linked to the Met’s intensive activity.
‘In Hackney and Haringey, officers made 15 arrests linked to the operation, including a 15-year-old boy on an illegal electric bike who was found with £1,000 in cash and a large knife.
‘The success in tackling phone thefts comes after the Met moved out of special measures last month, following major improvements in many areas of service to London.
‘These include responding more quickly to emergencies and strengthening neighbourhood policing to better respond to communities’ concerns, including tackling theft and robberies.
‘The Met is urging anyone who has lost or had stolen a phone to use the national mobile phone register so recovered handsets can be restored, via The Police National Mobile Property Register.’
