Sadiq Khan has been accused of ignoring a phone theft crime wave in London after it emerged that one mobile is stolen every six minutes in the capital.
New figures from the Metropolitan Police have revealed that the petty thefts have soared to record levels – and the force estimates that the trade in stolen phones is worth as much as £50million every year.
But the Mayor’s new Police and Crime Plan devotes just four lines of text to the crisis – in the face of crumbling public safety and hard-working Britons being subjected to skyrocketing thievery.
The plan vows to bring in “targeted police work” to tackle the perpetrators of these robberies – and says the Mayor will work with the Home Office to “expand work with mobile phone companies and cloud providers” to attempt to help solve the thefts.
One mobile phone is stolen every six minutes in the capital
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But at City Hall, Khan’s plan has been slammed for its “concerning lack of focus on an issue that has significant impacts on public safety and economic losses”.
The London Assembly’s Tory leader Neil Garratt said: “While Londoners and tourists continue to fall victim to a phone theft every six minutes, the Mayor’s response has been woefully inadequate.
“Our findings show that with real political support and leadership, the Metropolitan Police could effectively target these theft hotspots, disrupt the criminal gangs behind them, and keep Londoners safe.
“Instead, the Mayor has chosen to virtually ignore the problem, leaving Londoners vulnerable and the police without the mandate they need to tackle this epidemic.”
“Every minute spent not acting is a minute wasted, and more phones stolen. The Mayor must act now to implement the recommendations of our report, and put a stop to this senseless crime wave.”
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‘The Mayor must act now to implement the recommendations of our report, and put a stop to this senseless crime wave,’ Neil Garratt said
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Exactly one month ago, Garratt and pollsters at YouGov produced a report which found that almost two thirds of Londoners were now more cautious when using their phone out and about in the capital than they were just a year ago.
And when asked if they believed the Mayor took the issue of phone theft seriously, 63 per cent said Khan neither took the issue very seriously or seriously at all.
The report has sparked calls for action – Crush Crime’s Dr Lawrence Newport said: “London is experiencing a theft epidemic.
“We need to capture, convict, and imprison the career criminals disproportionately responsible. This report is a welcome push against the political status quo of lack of action on crime.”
Neil Garratt and pollsters at YouGov produced a report which found that almost two thirds of Londoners were now more cautious when using their phone out and about
SUTTON CONSERVATIVES
The draft Police and Crime Plan 2025-2029 says: “The Mayor’s agenda is clear – to make London a safer city for all, by being tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime,” and promises a “public health approach to tackling the causes of violence”.
And in response to the Tories’ criticism, a spokesman for the Mayor said: “The theft of a mobile phone is a hugely distressing experience for victims and we are seeing numbers increase not just across the country but all around the world.
“The Mayor is supporting the Met with record funding to redouble efforts to tackle the scourge of phone thefts in London and revitalise local neighbourhood policing under the New Met for London Plan, but the police can’t defeat mobile phone theft on their own.
“That’s why, at the recent Home Office roundtable, the Mayor pushed for the mobile phone industry to go further to prevent stolen phones being used, sold and repurposed, using all the technology at their disposal to help us build a safer London for everyone.”
Yvette Cooper is ‘introducing new laws so police no longer need a warrant to search properties where electronic devices have been geolocated’, the Home Office said
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Meanwhile, a Home Office spokesman said: “For too long, mobile phone theft, including snatch thefts and pickpocketing, has been neglected.
“This cannot continue, which is why the Home Secretary last month brought together police leaders and tech companies to discuss what we can collectively do to break the business model of mobile phone thieves.
“We are introducing new laws so police no longer need a warrant to search properties where electronic devices have been geolocated, while we have also kickstarted the recruitment of 13,000 neighbourhood police officers, police community support officers and specials to tackle these types of crimes.”