98% of phone thefts not convicted as snatching soars on trains and stations

13 December 2024, 16:00 | Updated: 13 December 2024, 16:26

Phone snatchers are targeting Tube passengers and draining their bank accounts.

Criminals are grabbing passengers' phones moments before London Underground train doors close before hacking their bank accounts.

Reports of thefts and robberies on trains and at stations rose up 58% between 2018 and 2023 according to transport police data, most of which were in London.

Shockingly, 98% of the 23,683 thefts in 2023 did not result in what the police call a 'positive outcome', or a conviction.

British Transport Police has warned that the month of December has the highest number of thefts in recent years, and asked commuters to be vigilant. They say there are three main "gadget grabber" tactics to be aware of.

• "The Plucker" – Thief selects a victim who has fallen asleep in their seat: they can then quickly steal the victim’s phone without waking them.
• "The Grabber" – Thief watches as victim is distracted and puts their phone on a seat or table. The thief then walks by and steals it.
• "The Snatcher" – Thief stands by the exit and times the theft carefully: waiting until the train is about to depart, the thief snatches the phone from the victim’s hands and runs out as the doors close behind them.

On Tuesday, the Conservatives said London is in the grip of a phone theft "epidemic" as they called for tougher sentences for prolific criminals.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said more than 64,000 mobile phones were stolen last year.

He said: "Last year more than 64,000 mobile phones were reported to the police as stolen in the capital alone. The small number of individuals responsible should be locked up for a long time."

He pointed to the jailing of Sonny Stringer, 28, who was sentenced to two years for stealing 24 phones in an hour while riding an electric bike:

"Last month, a criminal who used a motorbike to steal 24 phones an hour was jailed for just two years. Enough is enough."

The Government has said that police intelligence suggests the incidence of phone thefts has been driven by a demand for second-hand smartphones in the UK and abroad.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Government would be holding a summit to meet with phone manufacturers and tech firms to discuss how to stop the thefts from happening.

She said: "He is right about the issues in relation to mobile phone theft, and the Home Office and the Home Secretary in particular are meeting with tech companies to talk about how we can break the business model of these criminals."

Now, as we head into the busiest time of the year, British Transport Police have issued advice to keep your mobile phone safe.

Along with keeping your wits about you when out and about, they recommend registering all your electrical items at immoblise.com, and recording your IMEI number – you can find out your IMEI number by calling *#06#.