Trash article that does nothing to describe the factors that explain *HOW* London became the phone-snatching capital of Europe.
I would love to see an investigation beyond just “police on the street” (as I feel that this is not going to be the cause or solution to this problem), maybe discussing the structural elements at play that make London such a hotspot.
My totally ignorant guess is that the following elements must contribute:
1. Wealth inequality and diminished public services making crime in general more appealing to people
2. London being a very walkable city meaning people having their phones out a lot
3. High number of (wealthy) tourists who are generally easy targets (pairs with point 2)
4. Relatively little pedestrianisation meaning thieves have access to high speed roads to escape quickly.
SeoulGalmegi on
I learnt something from this – Madrid apparently has a worse rate of reported snatchings per capita than even London! I have to admit I’d probably have been more wary having my phone out in London than Madrid…..
sink-the-rafts on
Shit police and we don’t give heavy jail sentences for these awful crimes
High-Tom-Titty on
If you get caught stealing phones your fine should be the total retail price when released of all the phones taken, and the only phone you can use is a Nokia 105 for a year.
AddictedToRugs on
The answer is; because no one in Barcelona has a phone any more because they were all snatched.
Jay_6125 on
But the Mayor says its all part of living in a city and besides as we’ve seen with the Nottinghill Carnival its not too bad.
Oh and the Met by early 2025 will be down to 2013 staffing levels due to new budget cuts and officers quitting.
It’s all good.
Khuros on
Phone thieves never post about it on social media so the government can’t arrest them
Spare_Dig_7959 on
Money laundering capital of Europe not a headline.Poor people crime always grabs the front page . Especially if the offenders have dark skin.
PutNo3922 on
This is so strange. Throughout the brexit campaign, crime was blamed in East europeans. Turns out it wasn’t true, was it?
LifeChanger16 on
50k thefts in a year.
20m visitors to London a year. Population of 8.7m. One phone theft for every 574 people.
masterblaster0 on
Worst place for motorcycle theft as well I believe.
CurtisInCamden on
I cycle everyday in London and like others I see them regularly, either in the act or on the way to a busy spot (I’ve noticed they often use parks to quickly change location). They stick out like anything once you’ve seen a few.
Other than screaming out to warn people there’s not much we cyclists/public can do, but with some good old fashioned police work (e.g. coordinating via radio, monitoring cctv, sting operations / plain clothes police, tracking cell pings of stolen phones etc), they **can** be stopped, if the will was there from the Metropolitan Police.
Sadly the Met Police’s is too busy selling off police stations and making redundancies to stay afloat financially to even think about expensive new taskforce operations.
12 Comments
Trash article that does nothing to describe the factors that explain *HOW* London became the phone-snatching capital of Europe.
I would love to see an investigation beyond just “police on the street” (as I feel that this is not going to be the cause or solution to this problem), maybe discussing the structural elements at play that make London such a hotspot.
My totally ignorant guess is that the following elements must contribute:
1. Wealth inequality and diminished public services making crime in general more appealing to people
2. London being a very walkable city meaning people having their phones out a lot
3. High number of (wealthy) tourists who are generally easy targets (pairs with point 2)
4. Relatively little pedestrianisation meaning thieves have access to high speed roads to escape quickly.
I learnt something from this – Madrid apparently has a worse rate of reported snatchings per capita than even London! I have to admit I’d probably have been more wary having my phone out in London than Madrid…..
Shit police and we don’t give heavy jail sentences for these awful crimes
If you get caught stealing phones your fine should be the total retail price when released of all the phones taken, and the only phone you can use is a Nokia 105 for a year.
The answer is; because no one in Barcelona has a phone any more because they were all snatched.
But the Mayor says its all part of living in a city and besides as we’ve seen with the Nottinghill Carnival its not too bad.
Oh and the Met by early 2025 will be down to 2013 staffing levels due to new budget cuts and officers quitting.
It’s all good.
Phone thieves never post about it on social media so the government can’t arrest them
Money laundering capital of Europe not a headline.Poor people crime always grabs the front page . Especially if the offenders have dark skin.
This is so strange. Throughout the brexit campaign, crime was blamed in East europeans. Turns out it wasn’t true, was it?
50k thefts in a year.
20m visitors to London a year. Population of 8.7m. One phone theft for every 574 people.
Worst place for motorcycle theft as well I believe.
I cycle everyday in London and like others I see them regularly, either in the act or on the way to a busy spot (I’ve noticed they often use parks to quickly change location). They stick out like anything once you’ve seen a few.
Other than screaming out to warn people there’s not much we cyclists/public can do, but with some good old fashioned police work (e.g. coordinating via radio, monitoring cctv, sting operations / plain clothes police, tracking cell pings of stolen phones etc), they **can** be stopped, if the will was there from the Metropolitan Police.
Sadly the Met Police’s is too busy selling off police stations and making redundancies to stay afloat financially to even think about expensive new taskforce operations.