Phone thefts up 150% as government pledges crackdown
Within the last year, 78,000 people had phones or bags snatched from them on British streets
Phone thefts have spiked by more than 150% since last year, leading the government to pledge a crackdown on soaring criminal activity.
It is estimated that around 78,000 people had phones or bags snatched from them on British streets between March 2023 and March 2024.
Statistics from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, show this is a spike of 153% when compared to the year prior.
Home Office analysis of the data shows there were more than 200 incidents a day across England and Wales over that time period.
Just 0.8% of “theft from the person” resulted in a charge, and 81.9% of police investigations were closed before a suspect was found.
Police intelligence shows this is likely being driven by increased demand for second-hand smartphones, both in the UK and abroad.
In a bid to tackle this soaring criminal activity, the Home Office said it would call tech companies and manufacturers to a summit which would look at “the new innovations that could take on the illegal market”.
It is understood this would build on anti-theft smartphone features some firms have already rolled out.
The government is also expected to ask police chiefs to help tackle the issue, with Operation Opal - the national police intelligence unit - launching an intelligence probe to gather urgent information on the criminals who steal mobile phones, and where these devices end up.
This will provide a stronger picture of the stolen mobile phone market, and identify what more needs to be done to tackle the problem, the Home Office said.
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Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “With new phones coming to market and young people going back to school and university, many of us will have a new phone in our hands at this time of year.
“These figures are troubling and the government is determined to do whatever’s necessary to protect people entitled to walk the streets without the threat of robbery.
She added: “As part of our Safer Streets mission, this new government is determined to crack down on snatch theft, knife-enabled robbery, and other crimes that make people feel unsafe in our communities, and we are working to get thousands more uniformed officers into our communities to restore neighbourhood policing.
“Phone companies must ensure that any stolen phones can be quickly, easily and permanently disabled, rather than re-registered for sale on the second-hand market, and we will be meeting them soon to discuss what further action is required to make that happen.
“If we work together, government, tech companies and law enforcement can break the business model of the phone thieves and moped gangs who rely on this trade.”
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