Overview
- The FOI responses published Monday show fewer than 1% of reported phone thefts across 17 police forces ended in a criminal charge.
- Met Police figures for 2024–25 recorded about 86,000 phone-theft reports in London, with only 0.3% resulting in a charge.
- The force closed 95% of its phone-theft investigations, most without identifying a suspect, underscoring gaps in investigation and follow-up.
- The theft of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney’s phone was first logged to the wrong address and is now being reviewed by the Met.
- The Liberal Democrats called for a National Crime Agency unit and for networks to disable stolen phones on the spot, while the government said it would crack down on the trade.