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Westminster is the worst area in London for phone theft

According to data released from the Metropolitan Police following a Freedom of Information request, Westminster is the worst borough in London for phone theft.

The number of mobiles stolen has risen by 47%. Last year, 13,409 devices were misappropriated. That’s twice as many mobiles swiped in Westminster than in Camden– London’s second worse area for phone theft. In Sutton, only 454 devices were stolen.

Victims of phone theft say not enough being done to catch criminals, police officers are overworked and have bigger issues to deal with.

The Metropolitan Police is raising awareness of the risk of phone theft. But refused to say why Westminster is a hotspot area for this type of crime.

Link to visualisation: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/...

Over 76,000 mobiles were stolen in London last year– that’s a 10% increase in three years.

The Metropolitan Police’s ‘Be Safe’ campaign suggests ways you can protect yourself. They’re also encouraging people to register their phones with Immobilise- a free property register- as they say it helps officers recover stolen goods.

This year's campaign focuses on Westminster, Camden, Islington, Hackney and Haringey. Despite more phones being stolen in Southwark and Islington.

Link to visualisation: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/urIa7/1/

Restaurant Manager Kerry Oneill had her mobile stolen in Tottenham Court Road Tube Station. She said, “I put my phone in my pocket, five minutes later it had gone. I tried to retrace my footsteps, but I couldn’t find it”.

“I had to buy a new phone because I didn’t have insurance. I lost everything - all my contacts and years of pictures. It was really annoying and expensive. I didn’t tell the police because I didn’t think they could help.”

Figures obtained suggest iPhones are twice as likely to get stolen than Samsung devices.

Link to visualisation: https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1133331/

University graduate, Aidan Kwan was a victim of table surfing in Islington- a distraction-based theft.

He said, “I was filled with rage because I lost photos and had to buy a new phone. I couldn’t believe someone had stolen from me in such a brazen manner- it made my blood boil. More needs to be done to prevent it from happening”.

Police figures seem to show a disproportionate number of mobile phones stolen in Westminster. And phone theft in London’s inner borough could be worse than it appears at face value because some crimes go unreported to the police.