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I wanted to provide an update regarding Mobile phone theft, which some members around this area have highlighted as an issue of concern on the Met Engage priority survey. The Met and Apple have reached an agreement that protects mobile phone users, and is making stolen phones unusable.
The significant announcement comes as the Met Police almost halve phone theft in Westminster, following an intensive crackdown which has seen hundreds of arrests and thousands of phones recovered.
The technology company has also made a global change to its security system that better ensures stolen phones cannot be reused or resold – disrupting a highly organised international business model worth millions.
The changes come after two and half years of campaigning by the Met, which is also seeing Samsung and Google making security changes to also tackle the issue.
Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley said:
“I gave an ultimatum to tech firms – take urgent steps to prevent stolen phones from being resold and reused, or we will call on Government to step in and legislate. For the first time, we are routinely sharing intelligence on stolen devices, building a joint picture of how these phones move and whether they reappear in circulation. That partnership is already making a difference. If stolen phones cannot be reactivated, their value collapses, and so does the incentive to steal them. We are driving up the risk for offenders while cutting off the reward. Policing is playing its part. In the West End, where this crime was most concentrated, phone theft has fallen by 50 per cent through relentless, targeted policing. But we have also gone further by working directly with Apple to address the global market that has allowed this crime to thrive. This is an important step, but it must not stop here. If you are stealing phones in London, the reality is changing fast. The opportunities are shrinking, the risks are rising, and we are determined to dismantle this criminal model completely."
The new agreement between the Met and Apple will see stolen device identifiers being shared, creating a joint intelligence picture to track phones and identify whether they reappear in circulation.
Early data from this collaboration shows that a significant number of stolen phones in a recent sample have not been successfully reactivated, significantly reducing their value to criminals.
On Monday, 1 June, officers launched a ten-day focused crackdown on phone theft across London, codenamed Operation Reckoning. It involved carrying out arrests of prolific and violent phone thieves, executing search warrants at shops suspected of handling stolen goods, and deploying specialist pursuit drivers, known as ‘interceptors’, to track and detain offenders on e-bikes.
Reckoning 5 is part of an ongoing sustained and targeted crackdown of phone theft – from street thieves to international exporters. Other phone theft operations and court cases include:
In April, three mobile phone handlers pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods. This followed a year-long Met investigation into the UK’s largest mobile phone smuggling network. The group was responsible for trafficking up to 40,000 stolen devices from the UK to China between 2024 and 2025 – around 40 per cent of all phones stolen in London at that time.
Also in April, the Met seized more than 1,000 suspected stolen mobile phones during a raid on a shop in north-west London. Officers arrested four men, aged between 22 and 63, on suspicion of handling stolen goods, possession of drugs and intent to supply.
Earlier this year, a four-week crackdown on phone theft saw officers make 248 arrests and recover 770 stolen devices. Local officers worked alongside specialist teams, using cutting-edge technology, including drones and high-powered e‑bikes, to catch offenders and significantly disrupt the stolen mobile phone market.
Thirty-two people were arrested in an operation targeting a gang behind large-scale phone theft across London. The investigation found children as young as 14 were being paid hundreds of pounds, with incentives promoted on social media. Officers recovered more than 1,000 phones and 200 laptops bound for export. So far, 20 people have been charged, with more expected.
The Met has seized more than 3,500 illegally modified e-bikes and e-scooters since January last year. Offenders are increasingly using high-powered e-bikes to snatch phones and evade police, often riding dangerously through busy areas. Tackling this threat remains a priority, with the Met planning to expand its fleet of high-powered e-bikes to pursue offenders more effectively.
Intelligence-led neighbourhood policing is delivering strong results and making our communities even safer, with offences across London down 15.6 per cent in the financial year 2025/26. That is equivalent to more than 40,000 fewer victims of crime. This reduction has been driven by significant falls in key offence types, including theft from the person (down 21.4 per cent), vehicle crime (down 13.9 per cent) and personal robbery (down 13 per cent).
The Met has reduced theft from the person and robbery offences where a mobile phone has been stolen by 14,000 over the last 12 months (June 2025-May 2026), an 18% reduction compared to the same period in the 12 months previous. So far this calendar year (Jan-May 2026), mobile phone theft from the person and robbery offences are down by 6,700, a 20.6% reduction compared to the same period in 2025. This is even more significant in Westminster, a national driver of theft from person crimes where we have seen a 45.8% reduction this calendar year so far (Jan-May 2026), that is 4,500 fewer phones being stolen in Westminster alone
 We are working on our brand-new strategy for how we police London and we want your help. Our New Met for London: Phase 2 strategy will guide how we deliver on behalf of Londoners over the next three years. | 
