Mayor Sadiq Khan has worked with tech companies to combat phone snatching thefts on the streets of London.
Sadiq Khan and the Met Police Commissioner met with tech companies in late 2023 to discuss ways to ‘design out’ mobile phone theft, and how to prevent identity fraud through the use of stolen phones.
In October this year, the mayor welcomed news from Google outlining updates to prevent phone theft in Android handsets.
Khan said: “Last year I called on mobile companies to do what they can to ensure that their devices are not appealing to thieves, and I’m pleased that Google are introducing these important new security updates.”
The Met Police warned that criminals use bikes and mopeds to snatch phones outside busy stations, shops and concert venues in the evening or late at night.
The police also said the victims can be approached from behind while talking on the phone or texting.
Snatch thefts, including theft of a bag or phone, increased by 150% to 78,000 in England and Wales in the past year.
London is central to this problem, as 74% of these thefts happened in the city and 69% of all London thefts were related to mobile phones last year.
It is difficult to tackle this kind of crime, with just under 1% of reported incidents resulting in a charge, and 81.9% of investigations being closed before a suspect is found.
Arun, a victim of phone snatching, was enjoying a night out with friends when his phone was snatched by a group targeting people outside a nightclub in Clapham.
One man distracted him asking for directions, while another grabbed his phone and sprinted away.
Arun tried to quickly lock down his phone, but the group managed to gain access to his banking apps, they set up a new credit card and attempted to transfer £2000 out of his accounts.
Luckily the next day Arun tracked his phone to a park where it had been dumped by the thieves, and managed to file fraud claims with the banks to get his money back.
He said: “Even though I got the phone back, it was like starting afresh with a new phone, having to get new bank accounts, new bank cards, everything.
“So, for a few days, it was kind of tough to do anything.”
Arun has felt worried since the incident about the compromised data and the chances of it happening again.
He explained that he is very nervous when in big crowds or when there are lots of people about late at night.
He said: “It’s like you’re a victim but doesn’t feel like you’re a victim in the same way as other crimes.”
These theft prevention measures include AI technology that will automatically lock the screen if the phone is snatched and allow improved remote locking if stolen.
The updates also include hiding data-sensitive apps behind a pin-locked phone section.
The mayor has encouraged Londoners to update Android phones and activate these settings to protect themselves against fraud crimes in the event of theft and continues to work with other big phone companies to develop this deterrent technology.
He said: “We know there is much more still to be done to tackle this problem, but I am committed to continuing to work with the mobile phone industry and the Met to catch the criminals behind this appalling industry, as we build a safer London for everyone.”
Photo credit to Abigail Akerman
