The Metropolitan Police (Met) are cracking down on them, having recently taken down an international gang. Prosecutors believe that this gang trafficked up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones from the UK to China in the last year alone. This operation is a big step forward in the Met’s battle against mobile phone theft and robbery. It targets the hardest-hit neighborhoods of the high-crime period, such as the West End and Westminster.
Commander Andrew Featherstone, who is leading the new initiative to combat phone theft. He introduced Operation Resilience as the biggest ever UK smash on mobile phone crime. One victim was able to follow their stolen iPhone to a specific warehouse close to Heathrow Airport on Christmas Eve. This finding ignited the years-long investigation.
Detective Inspector Mark Gavin underscored the importance of this advancement. He noted that the find of these first shipment of phones led to the uncovering of a wide-reaching smuggling operation.
“Finding the original shipment of phones was the starting point for an investigation that uncovered an international smuggling gang, which we believe could be responsible for exporting up to 40% of all the phones stolen in London.” – Detective Inspector Mark Gavin
What did the Met say? In fact they suspect worse, that the gang exported well over half all the mobile phones stolen in London. With more than 20 million people coming to London every year, these high-profile crimes provoked huge public outcry.
At the same time, under investigation, police discovered dozens of stolen phones in a car. They found about 2,000 other devices at multiple locations tied to the suspects. Nearly every single one of these phones was immediately on its way to be shipped to Hong Kong.
In addition to recovering the stolen phones, police arrested 15 people. With 234 of these arrests for charges of theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit theft. Among those arrested was a 29-year-old Indian national, who is now charged with conspiring to receive stolen goods and conceal criminal property. Two Afghan nationals in their 30s are charged as members of the organized crime group, while a Bulgarian national is suspected to be among the traffickers. Most striking is that all but one of the suspects are females.
The Met’s Customs-style operation also spanned early morning raids where officers seized a further 30 devices. In an attempt to address the issue, police are increasing their efforts against phone theft. They recently reported that up to 80 more officers will be coming West End’s way!
The recent surge in mobile phone theft has led to a growing sense of insecurity among citizens. Londoner and participant Natalie Mitchel shared her experience of having to dodge bustling public spaces.
“This is the largest crackdown on mobile phone theft and robbery in the UK in the most extraordinary set of operations the Met has ever undertaken.”
In an open letter to the Met Police, she appealed for increased monitoring through tech solutions. She proposed putting more undercover officers in communities to fight this emerging epidemic.
“It’s really unnerving being here and obviously I’m not sure who is around me. I’m worried about my bag, I’m worried about my phone.” – Natalie Mitchel
New Zealand’s policing Minister Sarah Jones said the crime reality had shifted. She explained that criminals have switched from drug dealing to mobile phone theft, as the latter is lucrative.
The push to crack down on mobile phone theft just got stronger. They’re intent on smashing these criminal networks – from your everyday pickpocket to the organized crime syndicates that ship out tens of thousands of devices each year.
“If you steal a phone and it’s worth hundreds of pounds you can understand why criminals who are one step ahead and want to exploit new crimes are turning to that world.” – Policing Minister Sarah Jones
As authorities continue their crackdown on mobile phone theft, they aim to dismantle criminal networks at every level, from street-level thieves to organized crime groups exporting tens of thousands of devices each year.