Examining FOI data from the British Transport Police and Metropolitan Police to look at the growing levels of mobile phone theft in and around the busiest commuter network in Britain.
You’ve seen the signs, you’ve heard the tannoy announcements ‘thieves on mopeds operate in this area ‘ and ‘put your phone away before leaving the station.’ Areas surrounding tube stations are well known to be theft hotspots, with criminal gangs using stolen mopeds to relieve unwitting commuters of their expensive mobile handsets.
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The official advice given by TFL to passengers of the London Underground is to use their phones inside station ticket halls. But even here, as new data from the British Transport Police shows, you aren’t always safe.
The statistics, obtained under the freedom of information act has shown that last year, almost 2000 mobile phones were stolen inside London Underground stations or on the trains themselves.
​Kings Cross St Pancras had the most thefts, with 83 handsets stolen last year. Oxford Circus, Brixton and Stratford stations are close behind. Other badly affected stops included Green Park, Waterloo and Bank stations.
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Dr Simon Harding, Associate Professor in Criminology at University of West London, said tracking phone thefts on the underground system was very difficult. “People often find their phone is missing only upon exiting the station, thus reports to main locations [such as Kings Cross] are higher. also these stations tend to have offices making reporting easier.”
“As I travel on the tube daily I notice phones being used more than ever before, so I feel as if they are actively used more frequently by people who hold the device in their hand. This is different from some years back when phones did not have apps and were only used for making calls so they sat in a pocket during most journeys.”
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According to the figures, the Victoria line was the worst on average, with 18 phones stolen at each Victoria line stop last year. The Bakerloo and Metropolitan lines fared the best, with just 1 phone stolen on average at each Bakerloo an Metropolitan station on average.
A spokesperson from the British Transport police said passengers should be wary of where their valuable handsets are at all times, and to make use of inside pockets on clothing to avoid pickpockets.
But Dr Harding says otherwise “Whilst we often say that people in the street should not their mobile phone whilst being distracted or unaware - it seems that in the tube, the best thing to do is to use your phone and then keep a tight hold of it - once it goes in your bag or pocket it might not be seen again.”