1,000 stolen phones seized and 230 arrested in one week during targeted operation by MPS

The force specifically targeted those responsible for the theft, handling and onward criminal supply or exportation of smartphones in an effort to disrupt the £50 million-a-year trade in stolen devices.

The week of coordinated activity across London included increased patrols and plain-clothed operations in hotspot areas, including the West End and Westminster, where nearly 40 per cent of phone thefts occur.

At the same time, officers are using phone-tracking data and intelligence to pursue those handling stolen devices.

The MPS said such measures are proving successful and last year four members of a gang were sentenced to a combined 18 years after handling more than 5,000 stolen phones. They were tracked down by local MPS officers after numerous victims reported their stolen phones being at the same location.

Later today (February 6), the Home Secretary will chair a summit with law enforcement bodies and industry focused on tackling smartphone thefts.

One of the items that will be raised by the MPS’s Deputy Commissioner, Dame Lynne Owens, will be strengthening security on phones so stolen devices cannot be easily resold. The force wants to work with industry to prevent stolen phones from being able to re-connect to cloud services and make IMEI numbers accessible from the lock screen of all smartphones.

Commander Owain Richards, who is leading the MPS’s response to phone thefts, 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.

“By intensifying our efforts we’re catching more perpetrators and protecting people from having their phone stolen in the capital. But we need help from partners and industry to do more. That is why we’re working with other agencies and government to tackle the organised criminality driving this trade and calling on tech companies to make stolen phones unusable.”

Increased patrols in Westminster saw 17 arrests for robbery and theft, following 42 stop and searches linked to the MPS’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.

Kaya Comer-Schwartz, London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said: “The Met is spearheading targeted police work to prevent and tackle mobile phone theft in our communities. Thanks to the hard work of officers and intervention work led by London’s Violence Reduction Unit, personal robbery is down 13 per cent in the capital compared to the same period last year.

“We continue to support the Met from City Hall with additional funding for neighbourhood policing.

“But there is more to do. 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.”

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.