The Metropolitan Police has advised Hillingdon NHW that there has been a recent increase in e-bike enabled phone thefts on our Borough.

Thieves often use e-bikes to target victims and make a quick getaway - be on guard, know your surroundings, and secure your valuables.

The link below illustrates how the thieves operate - watch as officers pursue an e-bike phone thief behind multiple robberies across Hackney and Islington.  The robbery patrol team called on support from the police helicopter to track the thief as he tried to escape.   An arrest was made and you can see the suspect being detained:

https://x.com/ealingMPS/status/1858940632259059746

Additional footage of another event seen from two different perspectives can be viewed here:

https://x.com/ealingMPS/status/1858943596637847654

https://x.com/metpoliceuk/status/1857400675774218398

Crime prevention advice

You can see from the first clip of the bus stop incident how these teams single out their victim - the phone is held in a way and position that makes it likely that a snatch will be successful, and they move in to take their chance.

You can read the Metropolitan Police advice on protecting yourself from mobile phone theft here - and there is also a list of things that you can do right now that will help if your phone subsequently gets stolen:

https://www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/personal-safety-how-to-stay-safe/mobile-phone-advice/

How do the police link the mobiles back to their owners evidentially if they apprehend the thief and recover a stolen item?  They can do this if you report the theft as a crime, and you should therefore do this as soon as possible please by calling 999 from another phone if the theft has literally just happened, or 101 if you later realise it has been stolen, or online at:
https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/