The Met has halted a surge in mobile phone snatches in recent months, the force announced today.
Its Operation Ringtone to tackle thefts of mobiles saw a 7.6 per cent decrease in the last four months compared to the same period last year. Figures for 2012 had shown smartphone muggings driving a 17 per cent increase in thefts and snatches in London.
But the Met has reversed this by targetting phone thefts in the worst-hit boroughs — Islington (which is the highest in the country), Westminster, Hackney, Camden and Lambeth.
In the UK overall, crime has fallen nine per cent to a new low despite police cuts, figures showed today. But reported rapes are 2 per cent up, possibly linked to publicity over the Jimmy Savile investigations. Fraud is up by 27 per cent.
