Phone thief caught red-handed hours after snatching mobiles in London

A thief was tracked down using phone tracking data after he swiped devices from two victims in London.

Amari Scott, 20, still had both mobiles in his possession when police found him inside a shop the same afternoon.

Bodycam footage captured the moment an officer told him: ‘We’ve just had a moped rob a mobile phone off the pavement and the phone is pinging in this location.’

Scott, from Sutton in South London, was also found to have a stolen motorbike in his possession.

In an update on what they’re doing to tackle phone theft, police told how he first targeted a woman holding an iPhone in Croydon, which he snatched from her hands while riding a moped.

He has been been sentenced to four years in a young offenders’ institution.

Less than an hour later, a report came into police that another victim had had their phone stolen while they waited for a bus.

Urging people to report such thefts quickly, police said ‘early reporting has enabled officers to get to the scene promptly and start collecting crucial evidence’ which ‘significantly increases the likelihood of apprehending a suspect’.

Two other phone thieves, this time teenagers aged 16 and 17, were also caught after a spree of robberies across Croydon and Bromley on August 5.

Police began investigating after a victim was robbed at knifepoint. Officers found two discarded kitchen knives and analysed hours’ worth of CCTV.

Phone records showed the two teenagers were present at the locations of the reported robberies, and detectives were able to prove they were responsible for eight other robberies.

The two pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery and attempted grievous bodily harm.

Chief Inspector James Weston said: ‘We understand the impact that robbery has on victims – it is invasive and frightening. That’s why our teams are working so hard to deter and catch offenders to reassure our local community.

‘Thanks to the hard work of officers, our partners and community grassroots organisations, we are stepping up our efforts and tackling the issues that matter most to the people of Croydon.’

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