Recovered stolen phones Pic: Metropolitan Police

By Francesca Rodriguez

Five men were arrested and hundreds of stolen mobile phones recovered during a police raid in Lewisham.

According to the Metropolitan Police, the raid recovered phones stolen locally as well as in neighbouring Greenwich and Southwark.  Officers discovered multiple bags containing hundreds of phones “many of which were packaged in foil bricks.’’

The police statement said that officers have since “identified that some of these phones have been stolen in recent robberies and thefts across the city”.

In the year to October, police say an average of 157 phones were stolen every day, a 28 per cent increase in robberies over the previous 12 months.

Police believe the cost of living crisis and the value of the newest technology are encouraging more people to engage in phone theft, which has a low conviction rate.

One of the main tactics for thieves in London is to use vehicles like mopeds to drive up to their targets and snatch their phone. Students and tourists are said to be among the main victims.

Based on the severity of the crime, the legal implications for phone robbery usually results in a maximum 2-year custodial sentence or an unlimited fine.