To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Up Next

Previous Page
Next Page

New footage has shown the moment an e-bike phone snatcher being traced and tracked down by police moments after he snatched a woman’s phone out of her hand at a bus stop.

The dramatic video shows the thief slowly approaching the bus stop on his e-bike, before reaching over, grabbing the woman’s phone and speeding away.

The footage, captured from a helicopter and released by the Metropolitan Police, then shows the thief riding away from the scene ‘showing no regard for any pedestrians.’

Eventually, officers manage to catch the suspect and detain him at a local youth centre near New North Road, Islington.

The thief had reportedly stolen multiple phones before his arrest.

The thief slowly rode up to the bus stop and grabbed the womans phone out of her hand (Credits; Metropolitan Police) Officers tracked the man down and detained him at a youth centre (Credits: Metropolitan Police)

Earlier in the video, an officer said: ‘We were approached by a member of the public who saw him throw a bum bag type bag whilst travelling down Holton Road.

‘We have got it in our possession, it has multiple stolen phones inside wrapped in tin foil.’

Between 2022 and 2023, the Met recorded 41,705 incidents of mobile phone theft.

Phone thefts are more common in some areas of London than others, however.

Phone thefts have become a major issue in London in recent years

Westminster is far and away the biggest phone theft hotspot in the capital, with more than a third of incidents recorded by police occurring in the popular tourist area.

Latest London news

London rivers pumped full of raw sewage after ‘errors’ on new-builds

London cable car that cost £60m has a shockingly low demand

What I Rent: I pay £2,400 a month for my compact Battersea one-bed

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk's London news hub.

Following Westminster, yet quite a way behind, are Camden and Southwark.

The Met’s leader on phone robbery and theft, Detective Superintendent Saj Hussain, said: ‘We understand the impact robbery can have on victims and we also recognise that there is still much to do to tackle the problem as we make London safer.

‘Met officers are targeting resources in hotspot areas with increased patrols and plain clothes officers – and this result makes clear this approach is having a positive impact.

‘We encourage people to report as soon as they can whenever they have been the victim of a robbery or theft so officers can attend the scene and investigate swiftly.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.