BEINSMARTSIDE UK Londoners have typically British response when phone thief is stopped by witness

Londoners have typically British response when phone thief is stopped by witness

May 6, 2025May 6, 2025 | .. | 0 Comment | 2:17 pm
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A crowd of people chanted ‘w*nker’ at an alleged would-be phone thief after he was stopped in the street in central London.

The balaclava-clad man was grabbed by members of the public after allegedly attempting to steal a phone on Wardour Street, Soho, central London, on Saturday.

He was held by security, as pedestrians flocked around him, saying they had found stolen phones and wallets in his pocket.

But the jeering crowd demanded his headgear be removed, when they began chanting ‘w*nker’ at the man.

He was eventually let go, and was then seen walking away sheepishly as people continued to shout and laugh at him.

In February, the Metropolitan Police revealed they had arrested 230 suspected phone snatchers in the space of just a week, and recovered 1,000 mobiles during their raids.

Story from Jam Press (Crowd Chant Thief) Pictured: Video grab - The woman retrieved her wallet, which had been stolen by the thief who was caught. VIDEO: 'W*nker, w*nker!? Crowd chant football fan-style at ?phone thief? after he?s 'caught' A crowd of people chanted ?w*nker, w*nker? football fan-style at an alleged would-be phone thief after he was stopped in the street. The suspected crook was apprehended and the mob crowded around him. The balaclava-clad man was grabbed by members of the public after he allegedly attempted to steal a mobile. Security staff in the area helped to hold the suspect as the aggravated crowd voiced its opinion. The group could be heard chanting ?w*nker? repeatedly at the suspected thief. Some members of the public could be heard telling people to ?Take his bally off.? One girl also retrieved a wallet, as reported by NeedToKnow. Eventually, the alleged thief?s beanie and balaclava were ripped from his head. The man, in an all black outfit, was eventually let go and was seen walking away sheepishly from the jeering crowd. The bizarre interaction took place on Wardour Street, Soho, central London, on Saturday (3 May). Members of the public were left shocked by the situation. Joey Gold said, ?Just love how he?s being treated like a player coming back to his former club and getting booked for a nasty tackle.? Leilani Dowding added: ?Why did they let him go? ?Yeah, shouting ?w*nker? will do the trick. Same leniency as the courts.? Hamzah Kamal said, ?These men chanted at him?? Angela Bell added: ?Good news. ?Hopefully, this will deter other thieves and make the streets a little safer.? Billy said, ?This needs to happen more often.? The Met Police has been approached for comment. ENDS EDITOR'S NOTE:??Jam Press advises obscuring the thief's face shown in the videos before publication. Grabs from the video have been provided with blurring. Video Usage Licence: (NON-EXCLUSIVE) We have obtained a non-exclusive licence from the copyright holder. A copy of the licence is available on request. Video Restrictions: None.
The woman retrieved her wallet, which had allegedly been stolen by the thief who was caught(Picture: Jam Press/@CrimeLdn)
Story from Jam Press (Crowd Chant Thief) Pictured: Video grab - The thief who stole a phone and wallet has been caught. VIDEO: 'W*nker, w*nker!? Crowd chant football fan-style at ?phone thief? after he?s 'caught' A crowd of people chanted ?w*nker, w*nker? football fan-style at an alleged would-be phone thief after he was stopped in the street. The suspected crook was apprehended and the mob crowded around him. The balaclava-clad man was grabbed by members of the public after he allegedly attempted to steal a mobile. Security staff in the area helped to hold the suspect as the aggravated crowd voiced its opinion. The group could be heard chanting ?w*nker? repeatedly at the suspected thief. Some members of the public could be heard telling people to ?Take his bally off.? One girl also retrieved a wallet, as reported by NeedToKnow. Eventually, the alleged thief?s beanie and balaclava were ripped from his head. The man, in an all black outfit, was eventually let go and was seen walking away sheepishly from the jeering crowd. The bizarre interaction took place on Wardour Street, Soho, central London, on Saturday (3 May). Members of the public were left shocked by the situation. Joey Gold said, ?Just love how he?s being treated like a player coming back to his former club and getting booked for a nasty tackle.? Leilani Dowding added: ?Why did they let him go? ?Yeah, shouting ?w*nker? will do the trick. Same leniency as the courts.? Hamzah Kamal said, ?These men chanted at him?? Angela Bell added: ?Good news. ?Hopefully, this will deter other thieves and make the streets a little safer.? Billy said, ?This needs to happen more often.? The Met Police has been approached for comment. ENDS EDITOR'S NOTE:??Jam Press advises obscuring the thief's face shown in the videos before publication. Grabs from the video have been provided with blurring. Video Usage Licence: (NON-EXCLUSIVE) We have obtained a non-exclusive licence from the copyright holder. A copy of the licence is available on request. Video Restrictions: None.
A crowd flocked around the alleged thief (Picture: Jam Press/@CrimeLdn)

In footage released by the force, one plain clothed police officer is seen spotting a phone snatcher, in a dark blue backwards baseball cap and black jacket in Oxford Circus.

The thief had targeted an elderly person in the tourist hot spot, but one officer spotted the attack and tackled him to the ground in front of shocked pedestrians.

Officers also carried out raids in second-hand phone shops and used helicopters to find the thieves.

Snatch thefts have increased by 150% in London over the last year, with one phone stolen in the capital every six minutes.

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Latest London news

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro’s London news hub.

Some 78,000 people had phones or bags stolen from them on British streets in the year to March 2024.

That is a rise of more than 150% on the 31,000 ‘snatch thefts’ in the 12 months before, according to data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Figures also show that four in five police investigations were closed before a suspect was even found and just 0.8% of ‘theft from the person’ complaints resulted in a charge.

The government has pledged to crackdown on the scourge, with the Home Office saying it will work more closely with tech firms and police chiefs.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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