Suspected phone thief arrested after jumping into pond during chase

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 21:13 · Archive

A suspected mobile phone thief jumped into a shallow pond whilst fleeing Metropolitan Police officers who were pursuing him on an e-bike in South East London. Officers had attempted to stop the suspect after identifying suspicious behaviour, prompting a chase through nearby streets. Body camera and CCTV footage captured the moment he ran into a park and waded into the shallow pond.

The suspect attempted to dispose of six mobile phones by throwing them into the water, where they were wrapped in foil—a tactic used by thieves to block signal tracking. Officers were able to recover all six phones from the pond. The 21-year-old was arrested at the scene and subsequently released on police bail pending further enquiries.

The incident forms part of a wider Metropolitan Police crackdown on phone theft. Data released by the force showed that mobile phone theft and robbery offences in London reached 3,963 in August, the lowest monthly level since 2022. Between January and August this year, there were 39,793 offences, down from 49,136 in the same period in 2023. Commander Andy Featherstone said the decline was due to the Met's 'relentless campaign' targeting street thieves, handlers and exporters, alongside cooperation with technology companies to make stolen phones harder to resell.

How it is being reported

• Suspected thief runs into pond to ditch stolen phones during police chaseA suspected phone thief has attempted to escape police by riding into a park and wading into a pond in South East London. Bodycam footage from the Metropolitan Police shows the suspect appearing to throw away six suspected stolen mobile phones wrapped in foil into the pond. A police chase through the streets of the capital was sparked after officers on police Surron and BMW GS motorbikes and in unmarked vehicles tracked down the suspected thief riding a high-powered e-bike. Following the high-speed chase, police footage shows the moment officers detain the suspect after a coordinated…GB News · 8 Oct, 19:25
• Bungling ‘phone thief’ jumps into shallow pond to try and flee policeThe force retrieved six phone the suspect had discarded into the pondThe Independent · 8 Oct, 12:44

In this story: Metropolitan Police · South East London · Andy Featherstone · Westminster

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