Shocking footage shows a scooter mount a pavement inches from a group of pedestrians gathered outside a pub before the thieves on board grab a phone from an unsuspecting pedestrian.
The thugs barge past the group before careening down the pavement and snatching a mobile from a lone pedestrian on Junction road in Archway, north London on Wednesday night at 7.45pm.
This is the latest recorded example of moped gangs targeting the public in unsettling, opportunistic crimes.
And north London has been badly hit. A raid was filmed metres away on the same road in Archway when a brazen thief rushed into the Bread and Bean Cafe and grabbed a laptop while a victim worked on it on October 17.
According to Met Police figures, there were 7,265 incidents of scooters and mopeds used to commit snatch offences in London last year. The figure is 16 times higher than it was five years ago.
So far this year, there have been more than 21,722 of these offences in the capital.
Footage in this latest incident, captured by a witness who asked not to be named, shows the scooter mount a pavement, feet from a group of pedestrians outside the Boston Music Rooms pub, with one person driving and one sitting on the back.
They target one lone pedestrian and grab his phone before they veer back onto the road.
He runs after the thieves but they power on out of reach and veer onto the road again before the video cuts out.
The witness said that the scooter seemed to be acting as part of a team because moments after the robbery, another scooter drove in the opposite direction without head lights on.
The witness said that he has seen similar crimes in the area before and he shared the footage to alert people to the dangers of moped gang.
Shocking footage shows a scooter mount a pavement inches from a group of pedestrians gathered outside a pub before the thieves on board grab a phone from an unsuspecting pedestrian
The thugs barge past the group before careening down the pavement and snatching a mobile from a lone pedestrian on Junction road in Archway, north London on Wednesday evening
One of the moped thieves grabbed the unsuspecting man’s phone in north London
Police have warned people in the capital to be vigilant and to protect their belongings at all times as mopeds are increasingly used as the vehicle of choice for criminals.
Mopeds have become the vehicle of choice from many criminals in Britain, with
The Met Police told MailOnline that it is working to combat this rapidly escalating form of crime, but it also urged the public to be vigilant.
Superintendent Mark Payne, Metropolitan Police Service said: ‘Police are working hard to keep the public safe and make the streets hostile territory for criminals who steal scooters, mopeds, motorbikes and bicycles and then use them to snatch valuables from members of the public.
The victim ran after them, desperately trying to retrieve his mobile phone
But the thieves just veered onto the road and rode away. There have been more than 21,722 of these offences in which theives ride mopeds to commit opportunistic thefts the capital in 2017
‘These offenders rely on the unwariness of the public to snatch their phones while they make calls so 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.
‘Smartphones and IPads are very valuable to these criminals and they can snatch them in an instant.
However, I am delighted to see that we are now experiencing reductions in these offences and I am determined that we keep up the operational impetus to continue this downward trend.
‘We have introduced new policing assets which include forensic tagging sprays, mobile, remote controlled PROSpikes and purpose built, lightweight motorbikes that will help support that objective.’
But he stressed that preventative measures could dramatically lesson the amount of scooter, moped, motorbike and bicycle thefts which would mean that they could not be used in the commission of crime.
‘It is important that the public is aware of their surroundings at all times and protect their personal property, as this crime happens in an instant,’ he said.
The police urge the public to report any any suspicious activity and share information about who is committing these crimes by calling 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.