Natassja Krajewski had been catching up with a friend over pasta at London’s Borough Market on Friday evening as she set out on the 25-minute walk to Bermondsey in November last year.
Just after 11:30 p.m., Krajewski sent a message as she passed the railway arches where microbreweries were located. Three men, all dressed in black, were cycling along the road when someone stepped onto the sidewalk, grabbed her iPhone 13 Pro and drove off.
Krajewski, 23, an investment banking analyst, told The Times: “My immediate reaction was anger rather than fear. A Deliveroo driver on his motorbike tried to chase them but they cut through bollards – and then they were gone.”
When Krajewski got home, she logged into the Find My iPhone app and traced it to a address in Rotherhithe, South London, before moving to Peckham. She took screenshots and reported the theft to the Metropolitan Police the next day. An officer called and said CCTV footage would be retrieved from a nearby cafe.
A week later, however, Krajewski claimed that the officer “called and basically said, ‘Do you need that footage or should we close the case?’ I said, “I know I’m not getting my phone back, but I thought it would be helpful to you.” Even though I told the police where it had gone to be deleted, I knew they wouldn’t do anything about it.”
Fortunately, Krajewski’s phone was insured and she accepted that her case would be closed, but her experience with phone theft typifies a growing problem facing police.
The number of stolen phones in England and Wales rose by 20 percent last year as thieves increasingly use violence and distraction techniques to target their victims.
At least 316,683 mobile phone thefts were reported between January 1, 2019 and December 31 last year, according to data obtained by The Times from 35 police forces under freedom of information laws.
This figure could be higher as six forces have yet to respond, while Hampshire, Devon & Cornwall and South Wales have rejected the request.
The Metropolitan Police, Britain’s largest police force, recorded 165,933 phone thefts in the past five years – just over half (52 percent) of the total in England and Wales. The City of Westminster, a magnet for partygoers and tourists, and home to theaterland and high-end shopping streets, is a hotspot for theft: 18,863 incidents were reported in the year to December, compared to 12,836 (+47 per cent) in the United States States. previous 12 months.
Commander Owain Richards of the Met said: “We understand the impact that mobile phone theft can have on victims. It is an invasive and sometimes violent crime and we want to protect Londoners and tackle this problem while making the capital a safer place. Our response in this case did not meet expected standards and we apologize to the victim for the service they received.
“Met officers are focusing resources on hotspot areas, such as Westminster, Lambeth and Newham, with increased patrols and plainclothes officers, deterring criminals and making officers more visibly available to community members.”
• My cell phone was stolen, but at least I wasn’t stabbed
Across the country, dozens of phones have been stolen from bars and nightclubs, from gym lockers and from nail salons, churches and supermarkets. The victims’ smartphones were snatched while they slept on trains and buses or as they disembarked at their destinations, according to crime reports from 18 police forces recorded between October and December last year.
In South Yorkshire, two men entered a church during a lunchtime service. “[They] walked around the building and took detailed interest in it before he left. Later that day, parishioners realized their mobile phones were missing and it was discovered that £120 of fundraising money had also been stolen,” the memo said.
A woman was having her nails done at a salon in Lincolnshire when a female suspect entered and tried to pay for the nail polish with a £50 note. “The suspect leaned over the desk and stole a mobile phone before leaving,” the memo said . In Wiltshire, a woman reported that her Samsung Galaxy S23 was stolen from a locker while she was swimming.
Last year, the number of police-reported thefts from a person in England and Wales reached 125,562 – the highest level in almost two decades, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Designer handbags, luxury watches and high-end smartphones are considered ‘wearable possessions’ that can easily be sold on the black market. The demand for new phone models has meant criminals have become picky about the devices they steal.
A police officer said: “Often they cannot see what they are taking. We have had incidents where phones were stolen and the robbers threw them away because they were damaged or an older model. There was a case recently where a victim was told, ‘Your phone is too old,’ and they gave it back.”
Sonny Stringer pleaded guilty to theft after police tracked him and an accomplice as he drove through the capital
MAJOR CITY POLICE
On Tuesday, a ‘prolific’ thief was convicted of taking 24 phones from tourists and commuters in a morning crime spree in central London on March 26.
Sonny Stringer, 28, and an unknown accomplice rode electric motorcycles to attack their victims and make a quick escape. After stealing a woman’s phone on Blackfriars Bridge, the pair fled. City of London police officers operating CCTV systems in the Square Mile followed them as they sped through the city at 50mph.
Dashcam footage captured the moment officers made tactical contact with Stringer, knocking him off his motorbike at Bank Junction as his accomplice escaped. He tried to flee but surrendered when one officer drew his Taser and another ran from a police car to detain him.
Stringer, from Islington, north London, admitted nine counts of theft and two driving offenses at Isleworth Crown Court. He denied one charge of theft but admitted an alternative charge of theft, which the Crown said it was prepared to accept.
Stringer was released on bail and will be sentenced on August 8. Police said 12 phones remain unclaimed.
PC Lynne Stokes from City of London Police praised officers’ efforts to catch Stringer and bring him to justice: “Very often we have to tell people that unfortunately we don’t have enough evidence. But it is a testament to the team in the CCTV control room and the officers on the ground that we have been able to reunite so many victims with their phones.”
The pair took 24 phones during the rapid crime wave in March this year
MAJOR CITY POLICE
Police chiefs said they were “committed to tackling personal robberies” and encouraged people to plan their routes, stay on well-lit streets, keep valuables out of sight and report any concerns to police.
A representative of the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “We continue to proactively target those common criminals who may be responsible for a high proportion of offending, in addition to working with communities to improve education about keeping yourself safe.”
For Krajewski, the theft of her phone has changed the way she handles her belongings.
“I don’t take my phone out of my bag anymore. And when I do, I have two hands on it and I turn to a wall,” she said.
“It’s an offense to have your phone ripped out of your hand and I still get scared when cyclists drive past me. It was frustrating that someone did something rude and inconvenienced me through no fault of my own.”