London Phone Theft Falls By 10,000 As Police Drones And E-Bikes Help Net 248 Arrests In Four Weeks

Mobile phone theft across London has dropped by more than 10,000 offences in a single year after the Metropolitan Police deployed drones, specialist electric bikes and facial recognition technology in its most extensive crackdown on the crime to date.
Figures released by the force show recorded phone theft offences fell from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 last year, representing a 12.3 per cent reduction. The results follow a sustained year-long operation which culminated in an intensified four-week push between 19 January and 16 February.
During that concentrated period alone, officers carried out 248 arrests directly linked to phone theft and recovered approximately 770 stolen handsets. A further 122 people were detained for separate offences uncovered during the wider operation.
Among the most significant results was the dismantling of an organised criminal gang responsible for large-scale phone theft across the capital. Thirty-two people were arrested as part of that investigation, which uncovered a recruitment network using social media to pay children as young as 14 up to hundreds of pounds to steal handsets. Officers seized more than 1,000 mobile phones, 200 laptops and other high-value electronics that had been prepared for export overseas. Twenty people have been charged so far with further charges expected to follow.
In a separate incident, an off-duty officer arrested a prolific offender in the West End who was linked to nearly 20 so-called “table surfing” thefts over the preceding months. The suspect was found carrying two stolen phones at the time of arrest. A subsequent search of his home uncovered a further 39 stolen devices, 25 of which have since been returned to their owners.
In hotspot areas such as the West End, phone theft has already fallen by 30 per cent since April last year, according to Commander Andrew Featherstone, the Met’s lead for tackling phone theft. He said officers had deployed technology including drones, Sur-Ron electric bikes and live facial recognition to identify and arrest suspects more rapidly than conventional methods allowed.
Drones are stored in rooftop boxes at police buildings across the city and can be remotely deployed by the Met’s control room to provide live footage and gather evidence overhead. The Sur-Ron electric motorcycles were selected for their speed and manoeuvrability, enabling officers to pursue suspects using e-bikes and scooters. The Met confirmed it is expanding its fleet with 20 additional vehicles due to arrive in the coming months.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the operation had targeted the full chain of criminality from street-level thieves through to international export networks. He called on technology manufacturers to act, stating: “Manufacturers and tech companies must do more to stop criminals being able to reset, reuse or resell stolen phones.”
He also urged the courts to reconsider bail decisions for repeat offenders, warning that releasing persistent thieves back onto the streets was “undermining the hard work officers are doing to keep communities safe.”
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan credited record City Hall funding with enabling the force to invest in the new equipment and said he would continue pressuring the mobile phone industry to prevent stolen devices being reused or resold.
The Met said officers will continue proactive and intelligence-led operations beyond the four-week intensive period, with neighbourhood teams and specialist units maintaining a sustained focus on phone theft across the capital.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​