Southwark has highest number of mobile phone thefts in South London

Southwark is the worst area in the capital for phone theft outside central London, according to the latest Met statistics. 

There were 2,682 reported incidents when someone’s phone was illegally taken in the borough between November 2021 and October 2022 – with a further 697 phone thefts resulting from robberies. 

Only Westminster among the 33 local authorities has a higher rate – with 11,429 being snatched or taken off unsuspecting victims, while 1,401 had the misfortune to lose their phones through robbery – which can mean the use of force or threat of force. 

Lambeth also rates highly when it comes to phone thefts, with 1,675 stolen and a further 556 taken as a result of a robbery. 

In Kensington & Chelsea, the figures were 1,207 and 150, with Hammersmith and Fulham recording 565 thefts and 156 robberies. 

Phone theft in Southwark is mostly concentrated in the north of the borough, with Bankside, London Bridge, west Bermondsey and Rotherhithe bearing the brunt. 

Areas further south have been safer places to walk around with your phone over the past year, according to police statistics. In places like Dulwich, Dulwich Village and Champion Hill, numbers are low. 

Councillor Dora Dixon-Fyle, cabinet member for community safety at Southwark council, said: “We are concerned that areas of Southwark, particularly the north of the borough, are hotspots for this kind of crime.  

“We would encourage people to stay aware of their surroundings, pay attention to who is around them, and keep valuables like mobile phones out of sight.  

“We would encourage anyone who is a victim of crime to report it to the police, who are carrying out operations in the area to attempt to disrupt and tackle this.” 

Picture: Wikimedia Commons/Billie Grace Ward