Stay Alert To Phone Thieves

We’ve recently been alerted to a rise in phone thefts across central London, including in our local area.

By working together we can help to prevent these crimes and protect you and your valuables. These incidents often involve table surfing – where distraction techniques are used to steal the valuables of customers seated at venues – as well as phone snatches by thieves on e-scooters, hire bikes and moped riders. Victims of the latter are often standing at road crossings when their phone is taken.

Please stay aware of your surroundings when using your phone out and about and keep your valuables out of sight.

Our Street Team is on patrol seven days a week and works closely with staff at restaurants and cafes to inform them of the risks so that they can pass on information to their customers. If you or a colleague is a victim of theft in the area or sees anyone acting suspiciously, please do report it to the Police as well as our Street Team – this helps us to build a picture of crime hotspot locations so that we can increase security in those areas. Our Street Team has been a proven deterrent for these types of crimes in the past with suspected table surfers leaving areas when they notice the Team’s presence!

Contact the Street Team here.