This is the shocking moment a man had a phone snatched out of his hand as he crossed the road by a sneaky thief on a moped.
City of London Police released footage caught on CCTV of the moment a man who had his phone stolen in broad daylight to warn others about using their devices in public.
As the 26-year-old man walked across a pedestrian crossing holding his phone in his right hand as two mopeds drove towards him in the middle of the road – before one of the riders grabbed it out of his hand.
The incident happened on Cannon Street in the centre of London on May 16 at 1.40pm, following 131 reports of phone snatching in the City of London between April 2015 and March 2016 – to a value of almost £40,000.
Detective Inspector Doug Blackwood said: “Phone snatchers are taking advantage of people in the City who are vulnerable to theft; either because their focus is elsewhere or they’re under the influence of alcohol after leaving a bar or club.
“People are using their phone unaware of their surroundings – to check directions, book a cab or look for a route home, giving offenders on mopeds or bicycles the opportunity to snatch phones – sometimes using force to knock the phoneout of the victim’s hands or assaulting the victim to take it.
“I would urge people to consider using a hands-free device to make a call, not to text or use apps by the roadside and to always plan their journey home.”
“As well as having expensive phones stolen with all the inconveniences involved, the personal information contained on the phone may put people at risk of identity theft.”
