Stop releasing cellphone thieves who reoffend, Met police chief urges courts | EUROtoday

The head of Britain’s largest police drive has urged courts to cease granting bail to repeat cellphone thieves, arguing that such selections allow them to proceed their felony actions.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley additionally known as on cellphone producers and telecoms firms to implement measures that will make it tougher for criminals to reset and re-sell stolen units.

His feedback coincide with figures from the drive indicating that recorded cellphone thefts in London went from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 final 12 months.

Separate knowledge obtainable on the Met’s crime web site additional particulars 52,820 thefts from the individual the place a cellphone was taken in 2023, alongside 14,326 robberies.

For 2024, these figures had been 70,249 thefts and 11,125 robberies, and for 2025, 61,292 thefts and 10,207 robberies.

In a latest crackdown, the Met has arrested 248 people linked to cellphone theft over the previous month, recovering roughly 770 stolen handsets.

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Officers seized 1,000 cell phones and 200 laptops that had been on account of be smuggled overseas.

Sir Mark mentioned: “Over the past year, we’ve made hundreds of arrests and recovered tens of thousands of stolen devices.

“That work has meant 10,000 fewer people facing the stress, cost and disruption that comes with having their phone stolen.

“It is this work that is making London an even safer city.

“But policing alone cannot solve this problem.

“Manufacturers and tech companies must do more to stop criminals being able to reset, reuse or resell stolen phones.

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“We also need the courts to play their part by preventing repeat offenders being bailed only to go out and offend again, undermining the hard work officers are doing to keep communities safe.”

Figures launched underneath Freedom of Information laws present that between 2017 and February 27 2024, a complete 587,498 telephones had been stolen in London excluding the City, 13,998 of which had been recovered, and 573,500 weren’t.

The Metropolitan Police mentioned it’s utilizing drones, e-bikes and stay facial recognition to assist catch cellphone thieves.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has put ahead proposals for £4.5 million in funding to take care of cellphone theft, together with making a command cell responding to thefts and robberies within the West End.

Sir Sadiq mentioned: “Too many Londoners have been the victim of phone theft.

“Our new intensive action is putting us on the front foot when tackling phone thieves and dismantling the gangs behind the scourge of thefts here in London.”

He went on: “New drones are supporting officers to capture evidence and improve intelligence gathering and new e-bikes are helping officers outpace and outmanoeuvre criminals who use bicycles or electric motorbikes and scooters to commit phone thefts or evade police.

“But we know there is still more to do.

“Which is why as Mayor I’ll continue to prioritise neighbourhood policing and will continue to push the mobile phone industry to go much further in preventing stolen phones being used, sold and repurposed, building a safer London for everyone.”