In a novel approach to curb the rampant issue of phone thefts, police in London have started painting ‘blue plaques’ on pavements. These markers serve as warnings to pedestrians about the prevalent threat of phone snatchers in the area.

This initiative comes on the heels of a recent success story where police swiftly apprehended a suspected phone thief just 40 minutes after the crime was committed. The incident occurred in the early hours of April 15 on Old Broad Street, where a 34-year-old man allegedly snatched a mobile phone from an unsuspecting victim.

According to reports, the suspect engaged the victim in conversation before seizing the phone and fleeing the scene. However, the victim promptly reported the crime, providing a description that facilitated the police response.

Leveraging the city’s extensive network of surveillance cameras, officers tracked the suspect to nearby Bishopsgate. There, they successfully detained him and were able to recover the stolen mobile, returning it to its rightful owner. During the arrest, another mobile phone, believed to be stolen, was also found in the suspect’s possession.

Officers used an extensive camera network to track him down on nearby Bishopsgate – before moving in to detain him.

The phone was recovered from the man and returned to the victim shortly afterwards, while a second suspected stolen handset was also found in his possession.

A spokesperson for City of London Police said: ‘We’re grateful for the early reporting of this crime and description of the suspect which enabled us to mobilise the extensive camera network in the City to locate him and then quickly detain him before any further victims were targeted.

The police have spray painted a ‘blue plaque’ to warn people of phone snatchers in the style of commemoratory signs on buildings where historic celebrities lived

An example of phone snatching in London where moped riders steal them from people’s hands

‘We have already reduced phone snatching by 40 per cent compared to last year, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal, from proactive patrols to complex financial investigations, to drive that figure down even further.

‘We would urge people to turn on advanced anti-theft features on their phones, hide financial apps behind biometrics and always shield your pin in public.’

Police said they are now working to trace the owner of the second phone and return it.

The force said that tackling phone snatching forms a key part of its three-year policing plan.

Similar stickers on Oxford Street warning pedestrians of phone thieves were branded a ‘joke’ last August, with critics saying more officers on the street would be a more effective deterrent.

The purple sticker is an initiative by Curry’s to remind people to be mindful of using their phones on theft hotspot where one phone is snatched every 15 minutes.

It features a graphic of a hand holding a mobile phone and the slogan ‘Mind the Grab’ and is positioned in front of Curry’s and Miniso.

One man, who asked to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail: ‘The fact Curry’s have had to put this sticker outside is a joke.

‘The police don’t care.

‘No one gives a f*** if your phone with all of your pictures and emails and basically your whole life gets snatched by some lowlife on a bike they probably stole as well.’

Similar phone snatching sticker warnings were installed on Oxford Street last August by Currys but was branded a ‘joke’

Top Metropolitan Police brass threw their weight behind the ‘Mind the Grab’ publicity stunt, which has been permitted by the Labour-controlled Westminster Council, in the hopes it reduces thefts on a street where a phone is stolen every 15 minutes. 

Some 61,331 devices were snatched throughout 2025 – equivalent to 1,179 a week or 168 a day, according to analysis of the Metropolitan Police’s crime dashboard data.

There was a decrease last year in phone snatchings, down to 61,331 from the peak of 70,255 in 2024.

But the general trend is still rising, given almost double the number of phones were stolen in 2025 compared to the 36,637 in 2022, although this excludes this January.

More than 224,000 phones have been reported stolen in London over the past four years, but the total will likely be higher given not all phone thefts are reported.

Nearly a third of phone thefts in London were in Westminster last year with 18,932 taken – followed by 5,543 in Camden, 5,276 in Southwark and 3,977 in Hackney.

The other boroughs in the capital completing the top ten in 2025 were Newham (2,990), Islington (2,737), Tower Hamlets (1,921), Haringey (1,704) and Brent (1,531).

Sutton and Richmond-upon-Thames recorded the lowest levels of the crime at 88 and 106 respectively, followed by Bexley on 107, Merton on 138 and Havering on 198.

Ed Connolly, Chief Commercial Officer at Currys, previously defended the Mind the Grab purple stickers on Oxford Street: ‘Phone theft isn’t just about losing a device – it’s frightening, invasive, and cuts people off from their loved ones, their money, and their daily lives.

‘Enough is enough. It’s time to draw the line on phone theft – that’s why we’ve launched the Mind the Grab campaign: a bold pavement marking we believe can make a real difference by encouraging people to step back from the kerb.’