London is the undisputed epicentre of phone thefts in England and Wales, new data shows. Police forces recorded at least 83,000 crimes where phones were snatched or robbed from people in 2025, with more than 72,000 of those in the capital – 87% of the total.
Nearly 230 thefts a day
The figures, revealed through Freedom of Information requests sent by the Daily Star to every police force in England and Wales, show the number of thefts is falling. The 83,000 crimes in 2025 are down 12% from almost 94,000 in 2024, though still higher than the 80,000 recorded in 2023.
Each force was asked to provide the number of crimes recorded for “theft from person” and “robbery of personal property” where the item taken was recorded as a mobile phone. Nine of the 44 forces did not provide figures, meaning the total is likely to be much higher.
Westminster is the epicentre of the epicentre
London's rate works out as 795 thefts per 100,000 people, compared to 21 per 100,000 outside the capital. However, the rate is likely to be skewed by the huge numbers of tourists who visit the capital every year and become victims of crime.
Westminster recorded 20,700 thefts and robberies of phones last year, more than any other borough within the capital. Like the rest of the country, London saw the number of phone thefts fall, with the 72,000 snatches and muggings down from nearly 81,000 in 2024 – a fall of around 13%.
Met and Apple launch new scheme
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Mobile phone thefts fell by 13,000 offences in the last year across London – and have nearly halved in the West End - thanks to an intensive effort involving the police and partner organisations.
“Backed by the Mayor’s record £1.26 billion investment, the Met has stepped up neighbourhood policing. With more officers in hotspot areas and new drones and Sur-Ron bikes, the police are turbo charging their effort to bear down and be tough on mobile phone crime, allowing the Met to take the fight directly to those stealing phones.”
The Metropolitan Police Service has recently launched a new scheme with tech giant Apple which will make stolen phones unusable. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “I gave an ultimatum to tech firms – take urgent steps to prevent stolen phones from being resold and reused, or we will call on Government to step in and legislate.
“For the first time, we are routinely sharing intelligence on stolen devices, building a joint picture of how these phones move and whether they reappear in circulation. That partnership is already making a difference. If stolen phones cannot be reactivated, their value collapses, and so does the incentive to steal them.”
In June, officers launched a ten-day focused crackdown on phone theft across London, codenamed Operation Reckoning. It involved carrying out arrests of prolific and violent phone thieves, executing search warrants at shops suspected of handling stolen goods, and deploying specialist pursuit drivers, known as ‘interceptors’, to track and detain offenders on e-bikes.
