London crowned as European crime capital for smartphone thefts

The number of mobile phones stolen in London has nearly tripled in just four years, surpassing 80,000 cases so far this year — making the British capital the new European epicentre of smartphone theft.

While overall crime in the city has been on a downward trend, phone thefts have surged dramatically. According to figures cited by The New York Times in their recent article, around three-quarters of all phones stolen in the UK are now taken in London, underscoring a problem that has become endemic in the city’s bustling streets.

Smartphone theft now accounts for roughly 70% of all theft cases recorded in London. With more than 20 million visitors each year, tourist-heavy districts such as Westminster and the West End have become prime hunting grounds for thieves who often target distracted pedestrians and sightseers.

Experts and law enforcement officials suggest the increase is linked to policing cuts and shifting enforcement priorities. Analysts told the publication that years of austerity have reduced police capacity to pursue minor theft cases, pushing authorities to focus instead on serious crimes such as violent assaults or sexual offences.

The criminals themselves have also evolved. Increasingly, phone thefts are being carried out by masked offenders on electric bikes, who use speed and surprise to snatch devices from people’s hands before vanishing into traffic. “It’s a type of crime that’s very lucrative and very low risk,” explained Cmdr. Andrew Featherstone, the Metropolitan Police officer leading London’s anti-phone-theft efforts.

Well-organized crime networks

The lure of easy profits is being amplified by a lucrative international market. While some stolen phones are resold in the UK after being reset, a large portion are smuggled abroad, primarily to China and Algeria. Police describe this as a “local-to-global criminal business model” in which organized networks move stolen devices across continents. In China, new or high-end phones can sell for up to $5,000, generating massive returns for the criminal groups involved.

Joss Wright, an associate professor at the University of Oxford specializing in cybersecurity, told The New York Times that stolen British phones are especially valuable in China because “many of the country’s network providers do not subscribe to an international blacklist that bars devices that have been reported stolen.”

“That means that a stolen iPhone that has been blocked in the UK can be used without any problems in China," Wright said.

Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police announced the UK’s largest-ever crackdown on mobile phone theft, dismantling what officers described as an international smuggling ring. The operation uncovered a network that had allegedly trafficked as many as 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China over the past year. Many of the recovered devices were being shipped to Hong Kong before onward distribution, police said.

Investigators found that the criminal network operated in three tiers. At the top were exporters who coordinated international shipments and laundering operations. In the middle were shop owners and brokers who purchased stolen devices, sometimes selling them domestically or passing them on for export.

At the base were the thieves themselves — the individuals snatching phones from residents and tourists in London’s streets. Their ranks, police say, have grown steadily in recent years as the trade’s profitability and perceived impunity have increased.

Cmdr. Featherstone said the economic incentives are clear: thieves can earn up to £300 (about $400) per device — more than triple the UK’s national minimum wage for a day’s work. “The rise is partly because this crime is both ‘very lucrative’ and ‘lower risk’ than car theft or drug dealing,” he noted.

Yet despite the rising tide of phone thefts, arrests remain rare. Between March 2024 and February 2025, London police recorded approximately 106,000 stolen phones. Of those cases, only 495 resulted in charges or formal cautions — meaning just 0.5% of offenders faced any form of accountability.

By Nazrin Sadigova