Officers are warning the public that as well as looking to steal phones, criminals increasingly want to access banking or cryptocurrency apps on stolen devices. As such, they carefully observe or covertly film people accessing and using their phones before robbing them to obtain the necessary passcodes. They often target people on a night out who may be more easily distracted and less aware of what’s going on around them.

A proactive operation is ongoing at locations in south London, we are not publishing further details of locations, whereby officers are observing the criminals as they observe potential victims. In a recent deployment, at around 02:45hrs on 23 December, officers identified a group of three men whose behaviour and interest in passers-by was suspicious.

A short time later, one of the group was seen filming over the shoulder of a male victim as he accessed his phone. Officers on high alert were able to stay close to the victim, and when the robbery took place they chased and arrested the three suspects. The stolen phone was recovered.

All three men were taken into police custody and have been bailed pending further police enquiries.

While the Met is dedicated to tackling street robbery, the public is being reminded of the need to stay alert and aware of your surroundings, and of who may be paying attention to you.