Pickpocketing cases more than double in central London as cops start using e-bikes to chase thieves

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

Pickpockets are using e-scooters and e-bikes to rob people in central London, with a spike in theft in the area.

Safer West End Business Partnership, which helps police the streets of Westminster, has warned that criminals are using new sophisticated tactics to catch out unaware tourists and Londoners.

The number of pickpocketing offences in Westminster has shot up dramatically as London bounces back from the Covid pandemic, with nearly twice as many incidents being reported to the police now compared to a year ago.

Adam Ratcliffe, of the Safer West End group, said: “They come up behind people without you hearing them. They are aware really quickly without anyone challenging them and then you don’t have a phone to call the police because it’s been taken out of your hand.”

To try and tackle the crime, the Met Police have started using e-bikes so they can keep up with the fleeing criminals. There has also been a spike in pickpocketing in other Central London hotspots.

Criminals are also targeting al fresco diners who have their phones displayed on tables. Culprits either ask diners for directions or put maps down to discretely snatch devices and wallets.

According to the latest Met Police data, there were 1,339 cases of pickpocketing in the borough in May 2022 – over twice as many as in May 2021.

At the height of the pandemic, the crime was almost eradicated in the borough and there were only 118 pickpocketing incidents reported in Westminster in February 2021.

There has also been a spike in shoplifting cases in Central London. There were 337 shoplifting crimes reported in May 2022. According to City Hall, Westminster has seen crime shoot up 59.6 per cent in the past year – the most of any London borough.

Pictured top: Regent Street and Oxford Street, Central London (Picture: Tony Webster)