The number of phones reported stolen in each London borough has been mapped using new data from the Metropolitan Police, released in a Freedom of Information request. Phone thefts have been on the rise on an “industrial scale” in the capital over the last few years.
Several hotspots, such as Camden and Westminster, have been identified in the newly released data. Westminster had the highest number of phones reported stolen last year (34,061), followed closely by north London’s Camden (10,907).
There were also a surprisingly high number of mobile phones reported stolen in Southwark (7,320), which was third highest, and Lambeth (6,013), which was fourth highest.
At the other end of the scale, using your mobile in boroughs like Bexley and Sutton may be a little safer. There were only 357 cases of phones reported stolen in Bexley last year and 391 in Sutton. The cases were also low in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames (509) and Havering (575).
Use the map below to see how many phones were reported stolen in your borough last year.
City of London was not included in the data.
London has been the epicentre of an epidemic of phones being stolen. The data shows that this has been on the rise over the last few years. From 2022 (90,810) – 2024 (116,676) there was a rise of nearly 30% in the number of phones being reported stolen.
The Government’s new Crime and Policing Bill could see police no longer need a warrant to search a property for a stolen phone. Officers would gain new powers to act in the “golden hour” of investigations to search a place where stolen items have been electronically located, such as through a phone-tracking app, Wifi access or Bluetooth.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the new powers after towns and cities reported seeing street theft “shoot up” over and said it is “extremely frustrating” for victims to see where their phones are but nothing is done.
Police have also recently unveiled plans to launch high speed e-bikes to “beat criminals at their own game” and help in the battle against phone snatchers. Sur-ron off-road cycles are so lightweight they can accelerate to 50mph in 3.6 seconds.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service said: “We are seeing phone thefts on an industrial scale, fuelled by criminals making millions by being able to easily sell on stolen devices either here or abroad.
“In response, we have increased patrols in hotspot areas while officers are using phone-tracking data and intelligence to pursue those responsible.
“By intensifying our efforts, we’re catching more perpetrators and protecting people from having their phones stolen in the capital. The Met is also working with other agencies and government to tackle the organised criminality driving this trade and calling on tech companies to make stolen phones unusable.
“We are reminding victims to report their phone as stolen as soon as possible to maximise the chance of catching the perpetrator, too often thefts are reported hours or days later.”
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