Stop releasing phone thieves who reoffend, Met police chief urges courts

"The head of Britain's largest police force has urged courts to stop granting bail to repeat phone thieves, arguing that such decisions enable them to continue their criminal activities. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley also called on phone manufacturers and telecoms companies to implement measures that would make it more difficult for criminals to reset and re-sell stolen devices. His comments coincide with figures from the force indicating that recorded phone thefts in London went from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 last year."

"Sir Mark said: Over the past year, we've made hundreds of arrests and recovered tens of thousands of stolen devices. That work has meant 10,000 fewer people facing the stress, cost and disruption that comes with having their phone stolen. It is this work that is making London an even safer city. But policing alone cannot solve this problem. Manufacturers and tech companies must do more to stop criminals being able to reset, reuse or resell stolen phones."

"In a recent crackdown, the Met has arrested 248 individuals linked to phone theft over the past month, recovering approximately 770 stolen handsets. Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (PA) Officers seized 1,000 mobile phones and 200 laptops that were due to be smuggled abroad."

Courts should stop granting bail to repeat phone thieves to prevent offenders from continuing criminal activity. Manufacturers and telecom companies should implement measures to make it harder to reset, reuse, or resell stolen devices. Recorded phone thefts in London fell from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 last year, with detailed figures showing 52,820 thefts-from-person and 14,326 robberies in 2023, 70,249 thefts and 11,125 robberies in 2024, and 61,292 thefts and 10,207 robberies in 2025. Recent enforcement included 248 arrests linked to phone theft in one month and recovery of roughly 770 handsets, plus seizures of 1,000 phones and 200 laptops bound for smuggling abroad. Police recovery work recovered tens of thousands of devices and reduced the number of victims by about 10,000.

Read at www.independent.co.uk