London: More than 200 people have been arrested in the past four weeks as part of a major crackdown on mobile phone theft across London, with officers using drones and live facial recognition technology to catch offenders.
The Metropolitan Police said 248 arrests were made specifically for mobile phone theft, while approximately 770 stolen devices were recovered during the operation. A further 122 individuals were arrested for other offences as part of the wider enforcement effort.
Commander Andrew Featherstone revealed that ‘cutting-edge’ tactics, including drones, e-bikes, and live facial recognition, were deployed to quickly identify and detain suspects. He said the technology-led approach is delivering clear results.
According to police data, recorded phone thefts have fallen significantly year-on-year, decreasing by nearly 10,000 cases, from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 last year. In hotspot areas such as the West End, phone theft has dropped by 30%.
Releasing repeat offenders
Met Commissioner Mark Rowley said that the reduction means fewer Londoners are experiencing the ‘stress, cost and disruption’ caused by having their phones stolen. However, Rowley criticised the courts for releasing repeat offenders on bail, warning that some suspects are being freed “only to go out and offend again,” which he said undermines officers’ work to keep communities safe.
Rowley also called on technology companies to take stronger action to prevent criminals from resetting, reusing, or reselling stolen phones.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan echoed the commissioner’s concerns, stating that “too many Londoners have been the victim of phone theft.” Khan pledged to continue prioritising neighbourhood policing and to press the mobile phone industry to go further in preventing stolen devices from being used, sold, or repurposed, in order to build a safer London.
The latest operation follows a major announcement last year in which the Met Police arrested 46 suspects believed to be part of a criminal network accused of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China. At the time, Commander Featherstone described it as “the largest crackdown on mobile phone theft and robbery in the UK.”
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