The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a major new push to tackle mobile phone theft across the capital, unveiling plans for a dedicated Mobile Phone

Theft Command Cell backed by an additional £4.5 million of City Hall investment.

The proposed Command Cell, expected to be based in the West End, would bring together intelligence and real-time police responses to combat phone theft, robbery and related crime in some of London’s busiest areas. The move comes despite new figures showing significant progress, with 10,000 fewer mobile phones stolen in the past year.

Latest data from the Metropolitan Police reveals that mobile phone theft fell from 81,365 incidents in 2024 to around 71,391 in 2025 — a 12.3 per cent reduction. In key hotspot areas, robberies have dropped by 46 per cent and theft overall is down by more than a quarter.

Record funding from City Hall has already doubled the number of officers policing the West End, helping drive a 25 per cent fall in theft. However, the Mayor says the scale and personal impact of phone theft means more action is needed.

“Far too many Londoners have been victims of phone theft,” the Mayor said. “We need to redouble our efforts and stamp it out.”

 New Command Cell and tougher enforcement

Under the proposals, the new Command Cell would coordinate intelligence-led policing and deliver rapid responses to incidents, targeting not just phone snatchers but wider criminal networks involved in robbery and handling stolen devices.

The funding package would also support more high-visibility enforcement blitzes, proactive targeting of repeat offenders, and expanded use of drones and specialist officers trained to pursue suspects using e-bikes in crowded areas of the West End.

Alongside this, the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit will receive additional funding for its Reducing Robbery programme, aimed at protecting young people around schools and known hotspots. Trading Standards officers will also work with police through a new Stolen Phone Retail Taskforce to crack down on shops suspected of buying and selling stolen devices.

Building on Operation Reckoning

The investment builds on the success of Operation Reckoning, an intelligence-led initiative by the Metropolitan Police targeting organised criminal groups behind large-scale phone theft.

So far, Operation Reckoning has disrupted a major network suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China — a group believed to be responsible for as much as 40 per cent of all phone theft in London. Hundreds of arrests have been made and thousands of devices seized, with police using drones and high-powered Sur-Ron e-bikes to pursue suspects.

The Mayor recently visited Charing Cross police station to see the operation in action. During a four-week enforcement blitz, officers made 248 arrests linked to phone theft, seized around 770 stolen handsets, and detained a further 122 people for other offences.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “We’re taking bold action to make the West End and the rest of London a no-go area for phone thieves.

“Far too many Londoners have been the victim of phone theft and I’m determined to stamp it out.

“We have made real progress reducing high volume crime – but I recognise the personal impact of mobile phone theft and how awful it is when someone’s photographs, contacts, messages and personal information is stolen.

“I’m pleased to propose an additional £4.5m to support the Metropolitan Police smash the phone gangs – with a new Police Command Cell focussed on taking out gang bosses as well as robbers and snatchers.

“This funding will be invested in more zero-tolerance enforcement blitzes, and new technology like drones and Sur-Ron bikes which are turbo-charging the Met’s effort to bear down and be tough on mobile phone crime and make London’s streets safer.”

Commander Andrew Featherstone, the Met’s lead for tackling phone theft, said: “We understand phone theft is a major concern for Londoners and that’s why our officers are relentlessly focused on tackling it head-on.

“Local officers and specialist units are deploying cutting-edge technology – including drones and Sur-Ron e-bikes – to identify and arrest suspects quickly.

“These tactics are delivering results. Over the past year, we’ve made hundreds of arrests and recovered tens of thousands of stolen phones – resulting in 10,000 fewer victims suffering the stress and disruption caused by phone theft.

“Londoners deserve to feel safe, and we will keep fighting back against the thieves and criminal gangs fuelling this crime."

Crime falling across hotspot areas

In December, the Mayor and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner also announced enhanced “winter nights” policing in hotspot areas including Camden, Croydon, Shoreditch and the West End.

Since then, theft has fallen by 1,278 offences compared with the three-year average — a 26 per cent reduction. Robbery of personal property is down by 46 per cent, while violence with injury has dropped by 33 per cent.

The £4.5 million investment to tackle mobile phone theft will be included in the Mayor’s final draft Budget, due to be published on Wednesday, February 18. Photo by Cheeseburger296, Wikimedia commons.