At least 39,793 phone thefts and robberies in London in the eight months from January to August this year. The data released by Met Police shows that an average of 4,974 phone theft and robbery cases were recorded each month. A further breakdown shows at least 165 phone thefts were recorded daily during the period under review.

However, police said in a statement on Wednesday that the figure shows a drastic drop in phone thefts and robberies in London compared with past years.

“Between January and August this year, there were 39,793 offences, down from 49,136 in the same period last year—that’s 9,000 fewer victims,” the police said. “Phone theft and robbery fell from 81,439 offences in 2024 to 71,867 in 2025. The downward trend has continued this year, with offences down by a fifth.”

According to the police, New data released today by the Met shows phone theft and robbery offences have fallen to their lowest August level since 2022. In August, 3,963 offences were recorded across London compared with 3,311 offences in August 2022.

The police said the reduction in phone thefts and robbery cases between January and August showed that deploying a special team to focus on theft hotspots around London, along with drones, high-powered e-bikes, and live facial recognition to identify and arrest suspects, was “delivering results”.

The police said they arrested more than 700 people and seized hundreds of suspected stolen mobile phones in one month during their largest-ever crackdown on phone theft. The operation saw officers pursue suspects in high-speed chases, reunite victims with their phones, and execute more than 50 warrants, including at second-hand phone shops suspected of handling stolen devices.

Commander Andy Featherstone, the Met’s lead for tackling phone theft, said, “Phone theft offences are now at a four-year low because of the Met’s relentless campaign to crack down on these criminals. Our message to these criminals is clear: London is becoming a much harder place to steal phones. The risks are increasing, the opportunities are shrinking, and we are coming after you.”

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “The tide is definitely turning on mobile phone crime in London with 16,000 fewer mobile phones stolen in the past year and neighbourhood crime falling further too. We are all determined to build on this progress and will continue to support the police and work with the mobile phone industry to go much further in preventing stolen phones being used, sold and repurposed, to build a safer London for all.”

On September 25, three men were jailed for a combined 25 years for handling stolen goods, following a Met investigation into the UK’s largest mobile phone smuggling network. After a year‑long investigation, detectives found the men were responsible for trafficking up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones from the UK to China in 2024 and 2025. The haul is believed to account for around 40 per cent of all phones stolen in London during that period.