Phone thefts down by 10,000 across the capital
The dip follows a year long crackdown by the Metropolitan Police.
The Metropolitan Police says they have cut the number of phone thefts in the capital by 10,000 in the past year following the force's largest ever crackdown on phone thieves.
The Met says that in just the last 4 weeks, nearly 250 people have been arrested for crimes related to phone snatching and 770 stolen phones were seized.
Technology has played a role in the reduced number of thefts, with police using drones, e-bikes and facial recognition to catch offenders and disrupt the stolen phone market.
The Met listed a number of stand out incident's from the crack down including 32 members of a criminal gang being arrested in a targeted campaign. The investigation found children as young as 14 were being paid to snatch phones, with the gang using social media to attract people to join in their illegal activity.
Reacting to the decline in phone thefts, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said “We are relentlessly cracking down on phone thieves and dismantling organised criminal networks at every level – from the pickpockets and phone snatchers operating on our streets, to the handlers who profit from their crimes, right through to the international networks exporting stolen phones overseas.
“Over the past year, we’ve made hundreds of arrests and recovered tens of thousands of stolen devices. That work has meant 10,000 fewer people facing the stress, cost and disruption that comes with having their phone stolen. It is this work that is making London an even safer city.
“But policing alone cannot solve this problem. Manufacturers and tech companies must do more to stop criminals being able to reset, reuse or resell stolen phones.
“We also need the courts to play their part by preventing repeat offenders being bailed only to go out and offend again, undermining the hard work officers are doing to keep communities safe.”