Suspected phone snatcher arrested and phone returned to victim by City police within one hour of the crime taking place

City of London Police officers caught, detained and arrested a suspected phone snatcher 40 minutes after a mobile was stolen out of the hand of a victim.

In the early hours of this morning (15 April 2026), a victim was approached by a man, aged 34, on Old Broad Street. The man tried to engage the victim in a conversation and then snatched a phone out of the victim’s hand and ran away. Police were called and a description of the suspect given. City of London Police Control, being one of the only forces in the country who can manually control cameras, located the suspect on Bishopsgate. Police were sent to the location and he was arrested.

The suspect was searched and the phone was found in his possession. The victim had his phone returned to him by officers shortly afterwards. Another suspected stolen phone was found on the detainee. Officers are working to locate that victim and return their phone.

City of London Police Spokesperson said:

“We’re grateful for the early reporting of this crime and description of the suspect which enabled us to mobilise the extensive camera network in the City to locate him and then quickly detain him before any further victims were targeted.

“We have already reduced phone snatching by 40 per cent compared to last year, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal, from proactive patrols to complex financial investigations, to drive that figure down even further.

“We would urge people to turn on advanced anti-theft features on their phones, hide financial apps behind biometrics and always shield your pin in public.”

City of London Police’s phone snatching work also forms a key part of the new three-year policing plan published today to keep people safe and feeling safe. The plan sets out how the force will achieve its vision of ‘a trusted and inclusive police service, keeping the City of London safe and transforming the national policing response to fraud, economic and cyber crime’.

To make stolen phones traceable, the force is offering phone marking that allows devices to be uniquely marked, helping police quickly identify and return stolen phones to victims when recovered.

City of London Police have also continued to put blue plaques on pavements in the City, with the latest around the Fleet Street area, to reinforce the message for residents and workers to look up and look out for phone snatchers.

The 34-year-old man remains in police custody.