Phone snatching in the City of London

We've launched a campaign to highlight the rise of phone snatching in the City of London.

Man on bike snatching mobile phone 

The City of London is home to over 8,000 residents and an additional 400,000 City workers, visitors and commuters travel to or through the City every day. In recent years, the City has also developed into a major tourist destination with a vibrant night-time economy, attracting around 4m visitors a year.

Residents, workers and visitors are seeing a significant rise in a crime many of them are not even aware of - mobile phone snatching. Incidents of this have increased by 151% in the last year. 

Criminals often use bikes and mopeds to snatch mobile phones, and often victims are approached from behind while talking or texting on phones. 54% of phone snatches involve thieves using pedal bikes.

The criminals may mount the pavement to grab the phone or snatch it from the road. Sometimes when a moped is used, a pillion passenger will snatch it. They target busy streets, transport hubs and licenced premises. 

As an independent charity, we want to encourage phone users to be aware of how to stay safe and protect themselves from being targeted by thieves - and also to let visitors and residents know that we offer a unique service to enable all members of society to report crime 100% anonymously - guaranteed. Always.

Call free on 0800 555 111, or fill in our quick and easy online form, here on our website:


Phone snatchers take advantage of people who often have their focus elsewhere while they walk around with their phones out. Protect your property by following these simple steps.

  • Be aware of your surroundings, and always look out for what’s going on around you. 
  • If you need to call or use your phone on the street: make it quick, to minimise the chance of you becoming distracted by the conversation and a thief spotting your phone. 
  • Look out for anyone on a bike or a moped near you.
  • Don’t text while you’re walking – you will be less aware of what is happening around you.
  • Wednesdays are the peak days for phone snatches in the City of London - 38% of offences were committed on Wednesdays. 65% of phone snatches happen between 6.00pm and 1.00am, when many City workers and visitors are socialising, and often trying to use taxi-apps to book transport home. So these are the days and times to be extra-vigilant.
  • If you can, stand with your back against a wall when using your phone so nobody can come up behind you.
  • Whilst many of us keep our bank cards inside our phone cover, the police recommend changing this habit - as if the phone gets stolen, your precious bank cards go with it, and they can then be used by the criminals for fraudulent transactions.

Find out more about mobile phone safety here.

Giving information to Crimestoppers.

  • You may know someone who is involved with a gang of criminals carrying out these crimes, or have information about where the phones go once they are stolen. You can get in touch with us by phone or online, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
  • If you do have information on mobile phone theft (or any other crime), you can have the confidence and trust that our service is 100% anonymous. Not even we will know who you are.
  • Computer IP addresses are never traced, and no-one will ever know you contacted Crimestoppers. No personal details are asked for or stored. 
  • For telephone calls, there is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and calls have never been traced. 
  • We're a charity, we're completely independent of the police - and we guarantee that your personal identity will always be protected.

Give information anonymously - guaranteed. Call free on 0800 555 111, or fill in our quick and easy online form:


29 November 2022

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