Shocking rate at which phones are stolen in London revealed – as thefts are up a third, Met Police reveals

PHONES are stolen in London at a rate of one every 7 1⁄2 minutes.

Figures show gangs and crooks took 70,137 mobiles last year — 192 a day.

2

2

That is up a third from the 52,000 nicked in 2023, Met Police statistics show.

Phone thefts are now a £50million underworld industry, with most flogged or disassembled for parts in China.

Home Office figures show 90 per cent of all “theft from a person” crimes in London go unsolved, with a crook charged in only one per cent of cases.

The unsolved figure is 86 per cent in England and Wales.

The Met is using tracking tech and putting plain-clothed officers in the West End and Westminster, where 40 per cent of all thefts occur.

The City of London force is deploying bike-mounted police.

Anna McEntee, at Compare the Market, said: "Londoners and those visiting the capital will be concerned by the substantial rise in phone thefts last year.

"Criminals are becoming increasingly brazen, often using mopeds or e-bikes to make a quick getaway.”