Marauding gangs of moped robbers are targeting ‘phone zombies’ in one of Britain’s busiest streets.
Police have warned of a surge in thefts from people who look at their smartphones while walking along Oxford Street in central London.
As one criminal steers the moped an accomplice riding pillion snatches phones from the hands of those talking on or gazing at them.
Moped crime in central London has increased exponentially in recent months
Motorbike gangs can sometimes be seen riding around London with hammers as they target people for their mobile phones
The north London borough of Islington has had 3,587 moped crimes in 2017, with adjoining boroughs of Camden and Haringey experiencing almost 9,000
In the past two years, thefts there have rocketed by 2,100 per cent – from 13 offences in 2014-15 to 291 last year.
Crowds in Oxford Street, the capital’s main shopping street, give thieves cover and there are plenty of ‘rich pickings’ to choose from, said an expert.
Police say each device snatched can be sold for around £200 and some thieves manage to take dozens a day out of the hands of pedestrians.
Dr Simon Harding, associate professor of criminology at the University of West London, said that so-called ‘phone zombies’ helped fuel the crimewave.
Oxford Street – one of the busiest retail centres in the country – is a favourite of moped thieves
He said: ‘If you look at mobile phones five years ago, they were pretty much in our pockets unless we got a phone call.
‘Nowadays people are phone zombies. They are on their phone walking along the street, bumping into people, not knowing where they are going.’
He said moped-enabled thefts were the ‘crime of the moment’ because it is so easy and lucrative to do.
Offenders are also motivated by the fact they will not have to pay to get the phone unlocked if they can grab it while it is in use, then it can be wiped and sold as a new device, he said.
Senior officers at the Metropolitan Police have also warned about pedestrians being caught unawares by phone-snatchers while they look at or talk on their tablets or mobiles.
Superintendent Mark Payne said: ‘These offenders rely on the unwariness of the public to snatch their phones while they make calls.
‘It is so important that the public is aware of their surroundings at all times and protect their personal property, particularly when emerging from a train or underground station or anywhere where they might suddenly decide to take out and use their phone.
Oxford Circus with its distracted shoppers has been described as a mobile phone thief’s paradise
‘Smartphones and IPads are very valuable to these criminals and they can snatch them in an instant.’
Other hotspots include Regent Street, which saw the number of thefts jump from 3 to 91 between 2015 and 2017, and Bond Street, which went from 1 to 14.
Upper Street, Kings Road and Marylebone High Street are also popular target areas for moped thieves.
The Daily Mail has highlighted how scooter gangs are bringing misery to thousands by snatching bags and phones. The gangs have also stolen goods worth millions in ram-raids on upmarket stores.
The thugs, who travel in pairs or larger groups, use highly manoeuvrable stolen scooters and disguise their appearance with masks. In the year to September there were more than 19,385 ‘moped enabled’ crimes in the capital, an average of 53 a day.
The victims include former Chancellor George Osborne, who according to a statement he gave felt ‘shocked and stunned’ after a moped thief mounted the pavement in a futile attempt to snatch his mobile phone.
In November, the Met unveiled new lighter, faster motorcycles that officers will use to pursue the gangs. DNA tagging sprays and remote-controlled ‘stinger’ devices will also be deployed to stop the thieves.
The BMW motorcycles can follow suspects down narrow alleyways. The suitcase-sized stinger safely deflates scooter tyres and can be used to block two escape routes at once.
The indelible chemical spray, which contains a unique chemical code, shows up under UV light and remains detectable for several weeks. It has already been used to link suspects to crimes.