Fewer than one in 300 reported phone thefts in London end in a charge, new figures show, prompting a Liberal Democrat MP to say the crime has been “effectively decriminalised”.
Data across 17 police forces for 2024-25 shows just 0.82% of such crimes led to a charge. In London, the Metropolitan Police recorded a charge rate of 0.3%, with 95% of cases closed without a suspect being identified. Phone theft and robbery offences in the capital fell from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 last year, a drop of 12.3%.
The comments follow the theft of Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney’s government phone on October 20. The case was initially closed without a suspect after McSweeney gave an incorrect location, but the Met is now reviewing CCTV. The loss means important messages relating to Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador will not be placed in the public domain.
Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: “Morgan McSweeney having his phone stolen was just the tip of the iceberg. People could be forgiven for concluding phone theft has been effectively decriminalised. Criminal gangs are feeling emboldened to strike in broad daylight, safe in the knowledge they have a less than one per cent chance of ever being caught.” He added that a stolen phone holds people’s digital lives and called for a dedicated National Crime Agency unit to tackle the gangs behind the thefts.
The Met recently concluded a four-week crackdown, making 370 arrests targeting offenders from prolific pickpockets and phone snatchers through to handlers and those linked to international export networks.
