THIS is the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment that a brazen bike-riding London thief plucks the phone from a pedestrian’s hands before blending back into a crowd of cyclists.
Footage filmed by an onlooker in the capital on Saturday shows the unsuspecting victim having the phone swiped from his grasp by a thief who cycled up behind him.
Before the unlucky victim could even react though, the criminal looked to have merged seamlessly back into the crowd of cyclists, with his stolen good in hand.
The full video shows the unsuspecting victim taking pictures as he waits to cross the road, which is busy with cyclists.
The man stands at a pedestrian crossing, with swathes of cyclists of all ages zooming along next to him, filling the entire street.
Just as he lowers his phone and wanders along the pavement, one bike flies out of nowhere and comes up alongside him.
The black-clad rider reaches out and snatches the man’s phone from his hand without even hesitating.
Just as quickly as the thief appeared, he is off again, blending into the crowd of cyclists and riding out of shot.
The man shouts in protest and takes off on foot after him whilst his companion is left holding his hands to his head in utter disbelief.
The video was shared to social media yesterday with the caption: “A phone thief in London yesterday.”
It has since received over 700 likes and more than 60 comments from Brits left bemused by the incident – which is just the latest in a string of thefts like this in London.
One said: “Yep. I’ve done this before with a little toerag nicking a tourist’s phone in Knightsbridge.
“Thankfully I managed to catch up with him, knock him off his bike, retrieve the phone and get it back to the poor tourist. A few stern words didn’t go amiss with the thief either.”
Another wrote: “Give them the choice of 10 years or lose a hand and we wouldn’t see this s**t happening.”
A third appeared to blame the unsuspecting bloke, commenting: “It’s kind of like holding your fish and chips aloft as the seagulls fly over.”
A fourth joked: “Sadly no-one on a bike around to help with the pursuit.”
Another replied: “Why should they? It’s a valuable lesson, keep your eyes off your phone.”
Another said: “Bro blended in.”
Speaking today, Met Police Commander Owain Richards said: “We understand the impact that mobile phone theft can have on victims – it’s an invasive and sometimes violent crime – and we’re committed to protecting Londoners and tackling this issue as we make the capital safer.
“Met officers are targeting resources to hotspot areas, such as Westminster, Lambeth and Newham, with increased patrols and plain clothes officers which deter criminals and make officers more visibly available to members of the community.
“We continue to use data and technology to build intelligence and track stolen items to target offenders. We are also working with phone firms to ‘design out’ the ability for phones to be reused and sold on as we seek to dismantle the criminal market that fuels robbery and theft.
“We encourage people to report as soon as they can whenever they have been a victim of mobile phone theft, so officers can investigate swiftly.”
