Police footage shows London mobile phone thief being caught in 60 seconds

Phone thefts in UK capital have reached what have been described as 'epidemic' levels

Police officers catch up with the mobile phone thief and his accomplice in central London. Photo: Metropolitan Police

A mobile phone thief was arrested by undercover police less than a minute after snatching a device from a victim near London Bridge.

London's Met Police released video of the moment the hooded thief was pounced on by officers, who were then able to return the phone to its owner.

Mobile phone theft in London has reached what has been described as “epidemic” levels, prompting the Met Police to step up undercover operations in worst-affected areas of the city.

The incident happened near London Bridge and the Shard skyscraper, where the phone was ripped from the victim’s hand.

Footage shows an unmarked police car driving along Tooley Street as the suspect flees round a corner.

The black car pursues the unsuspecting thief, who then meets up with an accomplice and they slow down to walking pace, believing they have got away with the theft.

The police car catches up with the pair and officers leap out.

Police officers catch up with the mobile phone thief and his accomplice in central London. Photo: Metropolitan Police

An officer catches the thief and throws him to the ground before putting him in handcuffs.

“You’re under arrest on suspicion of committing theft,” the officer tells him.

The police force’s data shows that in the year to April 75,105 mobile phones were stolen across London, an increase of 13 per cent on the previous year.

The Met Police said the incident happened on Sunday, January 12 at about 12.30am and a 15 year old was arrested. He was found guilty of theft at Highbury Corner Magistrate' Court on April 7 and given a youth referral order, requiring him to undergo rehabilitation, as well as a fine.

An analysis of data by The National revealed phone thefts have surged in upmarket parts of central London and areas popular with tourists.

“These days, it seems everyone knows someone who's suffered phone theft, or suffered it themselves. It's an epidemic,” Neil Garratt, leader of the Conservatives in the London Assembly, previously told The National.

The thief in handcuffs after being arrested. Photo: Metropolitan Police

“Yet when I pressed the mayor [Sadiq Khan] on what he is doing to get a grip, all he could do is blame phone manufacturers for not making the phones worthless if snatched. When the person responsible for fighting crime in our capital is more interested in blaming others than taking action, you know he's not even trying.”

In February, 1,000 stolen mobile phones were seized from robbers in London in one week as part of a crackdown on “industrial-scale” thefts that have blighted the capital.

The Met Police said the seizures followed operations against criminals by plainclothes officers in hotspot areas such as the West End and Westminster, which are popular with tourists but where nearly 40 per cent of London phone thefts occur.

Many are carried out by criminals on bikes snatching phones as unsuspecting victims leave buildings or walk down the street.