Mayor of London and Met Commissioner call on mobile phone industry to play their part in reducing robberies

• Mayor Sadiq Khan and Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley call on mobile phone industry to join roundtable and work with City Hall and Met to ‘design out’ robberies and thefts involving mobile phones
• Call to action made alongside renewed police activity targeting hotspots of robbery and thefts in London with neighbourhood policing boosted in high streets and local communities
• Figures show 38 per cent of all personal robberies last year involved a mobile phone being stolen with concern that thefts and robberies of mobile phones could rise this year
• Mayor and Commissioner visit West London to see intelligence-led, proactive and targeted police activity to prevent and tackle robberies

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley have today called on the mobile phone industry to play their part and “deliver bold and innovative technological solutions” to help tackle the rising number of robberies in the capital.

They are urging leading mobile phone providers and manufacturers to work with City Hall and the Met police to ‘design out’ the theft and robberies of mobile phones building on the successful precedent of car manufacturers who worked with police to substantially reduce the thefts of car radios and sat navs by integrating them into vehicle dashboards.

The call to action is being made alongside renewed action by the Met to target hotspots of robbery and thefts in London with neighbourhood policing being boosted in high streets and local communities as part of the New Met for London plan.

The action comes as new figures show that mobile phone crime is driving the rise in robberies and thefts in the capital with 38 per cent of all personal robberies last year – equating to more than 9,500 offences - involving a phone being stolen. And nearly 70 per cent of all thefts in London last year related to mobile phones.¹

Violence and weapons have also been used in many robberies – in line with national trends - leaving victims traumatised and in the most extreme examples seriously or fatally injured.² After a period of decline during the pandemic, England is now experiencing a steady increase in robberies, as is London, in line with national trends.

The Met is spearheading dedicated and targeted police work to prevent these crimes but as the criminal demand for high-value mobile phones continues to grow, the Mayor and Met Commissioner agree more can be and should be done by the mobile phone industry to make it harder for stolen phones to be sold on, repurposed by vendors and re-used illegally. 

To help develop a long-term solution to this growing crime, they have today jointly written to mobile phone providers and invited them to attend a roundtable discussion. The meeting will focus on how the police, City Hall and the mobile phone industry can work better together to find the most effective deterrent and ultimately significantly reduce mobile phone robberies in London and beyond.

With the summer holidays now underway during a cost-of-living crisis, the Mayor and Met police are determined to do everything possible to keep all Londoners safe by reinvigorating neighbourhood policing, proactively pursuing the worst offenders, making better use of technology to track stolen phones, and building on the significant progress that has been made in tackling violence and homicides in the capital.³

Police data shows that young people are disproportionately involved in robberies, both as victims and perpetrators, with young people aged between 14-20 particularly at risk of being targeted by criminals.

On Tuesday the Mayor Sadiq Khan and Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley visited West London to see the intelligence-led, targeted police activity taking place day and night to prevent and tackle robberies in this area and across the capital. Alongside the enforcement action, the Mayor has provided an additional £7.4m to his Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) for a series of activities across London this summer to provide positive and constructive opportunities for young people.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m committed to continue building a safer city for all Londoners by being tough on violence and tough on its complex causes.

“We have made progress with homicides, knife crime with injury and gun crime having fallen since 2016. But despite the support we’re providing young Londoners during the holidays and beyond, the spiralling cost-of-living threatens to exacerbate the drivers of violence and robberies which we know disproportionately impact young people.

“It’s simply too easy and profitable for criminals right now to repurpose and sell on stolen phones. That’s why, alongside strengthening neighbourhood policing and record investment in supporting the police to go after the worst offenders the Commissioner and I are calling on the mobile phone industry to work with us and play their part in reducing robberies and thefts involving mobile phones.”

Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said: “The current practice of allowing stolen mobiles to be re-registered by new users within the phone industry inadvertently enables a criminal market which drives, robbery, thefts and violent offending in London.

“We need partners to step up to the plate and work alongside us to break this cycle of violence fuelled by the ability of mobile phones to be re-purposed and sold on in this way.

“Our work to drive down violence in all its forms across London continues. We’re building the strongest neighbourhood policing offer we’ve ever had, using data and technology to target hotspots, and arresting those handling stolen devices wherever and whenever we can. 

“But we’ve been really clear there are root causes of violence we cannot tackle alone. Until we are working jointly with industry to remove the ability for phones to be used in this way, Londoners will continue to fall victim to those who will not hesitate to use violence to steal from them.”

Claire Waxman OBE, London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner, said: “Every robbery and theft is traumatic and the impact on the victim goes far beyond the loss of a personal possession – it heightens the fear of crime and how people feel going about their daily lives. Phones are also a form of safety for people because they know they can contact their family, loved ones and emergency services if they need to. Taking someone’s mobile phone robs them of that security. That’s why I welcome the proactive and intelligence led approach by the Met and Mayor of London to put more police in areas where communities need them most and go after the worst offenders so we can all feel and be safer. 

“Today our lives are on our phones - from our family photos, online banking, travelcards, wallet and emails. And it’s just far too straightforward for thieves to sell them on quickly for a profit. We need a long-term solution to the menace of mobile phone crime and the industry have a unique role and opportunity now to work with us to develop innovative deterrents that can prevent more people falling victim to this awful crime.”

Notes to Editors

¹Between calendar years 2021 and 2022, London experienced an increase of almost 4,000 offences of robbery (around 2,000 relating to mobile phones). In calendar year 2022 there were 38,996 theft from person offences involving a mobile phone, this is 68 per cent of all such offences. So far in calendar year 2023 we have seen a 27 per cent increase in theft from person offences involving a mobile phone. https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/year-end-crime-statistics-21-22/

²Robberies are traumatic experiences for victims and, in some cases, have led to significant injuries. In one tragic incident, a victim who was stabbed in the leg and then had his mobile phone stolen, died from his injuries. In another horrific incident, a pregnant woman had a miscarriage after being kicked in the stomach, whilst being robbed for her mobile phone. Tourists are also a key target for thieves, with Met data highlighting that tourist hot spots are key locations, where criminals target mobile handsets.

³The number of murders in London last year falling to its lowest since 2014 and teenage murders reducing by more than 50 per cent compared to the previous year.

Crime stats

Crimes which have fallen over the Mayoralty (twelve-month period to May 2016 as compared to twelve-month period to June 2023): 

• Knife crime with injury down 2%.
• Knife crime with injury under 25 down 19%.
• Gun crime down 14%.  
• Homicide down 3%.
• Burglary down 21%.  

+ The Metropolitan Police are determined to take proactive measures to tackle the expected increases in robberies and thefts in London. The New Met for London Plan will reinvigorate local neighbourhood policing and more officers and PCSO’s are being recruited to work in our town centres and high streets than ever before with better use of data and intelligence to effectively target hotspots of robbery and theft. There is also improved training for control centre staff to maximise opportunities to locate stolen devices and investment in new technology that can live track stolen handsets. Relentless work to pursue perpetrators and the worst offenders will also continue at pace. The Mayor has also invested £2.5m to improve the service Londoners who call the police in an emergency receive along a new £3 million annual investment package to improve the Met police’s support of victims of crime.

++ Whilst work to pursue perpetrators continues, the Mayor of London and Met Commissioner agree there is more that can be done to prevent mobile phone theft by making it harder for stolen phones to be re-used and registered for services not just on carrier networks but also for services provided by hardware and operating systems vendors.

+++The Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit, the first of its kind in the country, is investing in programmes this summer and beyond that are delivering in areas most affected by violence and at a time of the year when evidence shows violence can increase. In July, the Mayor announced an additional £7.4m VRU investment supporting activities for children and young people. This includes funding for sports and physical activity, investment in grassroots community organisations, paid roles for young Londoners and a project to keep young people safe online. More information: https://www.london.gov.uk/media-centre/mayors-press-release/Mayor-announces-new-Violence-Reduction-Unit-investment-in-summer-programme-to-tackle-violence-with-opportunities-for-young-people.