The head of Britain’s largest police force has urged courts to stop granting bail to repeat phone thieves, arguing that such decisions enable them to continue their criminal activities.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley also called on phone manufacturers and telecoms companies to implement measures that would make it more difficult for criminals to reset and re-sell stolen devices.
His comments coincide with figures from the force indicating that recorded phone thefts in London went from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 last year.
Separate data available on the Met’s crime website further details 52,820 thefts from the person where a phone was taken in 2023, alongside 14,326 robberies.
For 2024, these figures were 70,249 thefts and 11,125 robberies, and for 2025, 61,292 thefts and 10,207 robberies.
In a recent crackdown, the Met has arrested 248 individuals linked to phone theft over the past month, recovering approximately 770 stolen handsets.
Officers seized 1,000 mobile phones and 200 laptops that were due to be smuggled abroad.
Sir Mark said: “Over the past year, we’ve made hundreds of arrests and recovered tens of thousands of stolen devices.
“That work has meant 10,000 fewer people facing the stress, cost and disruption that comes with having their phone stolen.
“It is this work that is making London an even safer city.
“But policing alone cannot solve this problem.
“Manufacturers and tech companies must do more to stop criminals being able to reset, reuse or resell stolen phones.
“We also need the courts to play their part by preventing repeat offenders being bailed only to go out and offend again, undermining the hard work officers are doing to keep communities safe.”
Figures released under Freedom of Information legislation show that between 2017 and February 27 2024, a total 587,498 phones were stolen in London excluding the City, 13,998 of which were recovered, and 573,500 were not.
The Metropolitan Police said it is using drones, e-bikes and live facial recognition to help catch phone thieves.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has put forward proposals for £4.5 million in funding to deal with phone theft, including creating a command cell responding to thefts and robberies in the West End.
Sir Sadiq said: “Too many Londoners have been the victim of phone theft.
“Our new intensive action is putting us on the front foot when tackling phone thieves and dismantling the gangs behind the scourge of thefts here in London.”
He went on: “New drones are supporting officers to capture evidence and improve intelligence gathering and new e-bikes are helping officers outpace and outmanoeuvre criminals who use bicycles or electric motorbikes and scooters to commit phone thefts or evade police.
“But we know there is still more to do.
“Which is why as Mayor I’ll continue to prioritise neighbourhood policing and will continue to push the mobile phone industry to go much further in preventing stolen phones being used, sold and repurposed, building a safer London for everyone.”
