Sadiq Khan hails new Google software that makes mobiles completely useless to moped-riding thieves – as critics say London mayor must do more

Sadiq Khan has hailed Google‘s new innovative software that will render mobile phones useless if stolen by moped-riding thieves.

The Mayor of London saw the new technology for himself during a visit to Google’s offices in St Pancras on Tuesday, where he was shown new security features available to Android smartphones. 

These include the ability to hide sensitive apps, including banking apps, behind a PIN-locked area, as well as a new AI-powered tool that can sense when the phone has been snatched.

Theft Detection Lock becomes activated if someone is fleeing at speed from one location to another with the phone. 

Google said its AI will be able to detect ‘common motion associated with theft’ by reading signals from the device, such as the accelerometer reading the sudden jolt of someone on a bike snatching a phone from a user’s hand and then moving off at a high speed, to instantly lock the device.

The Mayor of London has hailed new technology that will render mobile phones useless to thieves after they have been stolen. Pictured: An unsuspecting man had his mobile snatched in broad daylight opposite Hyde Park in July

CCTV caught the exact moment that the moped rider, dressed all in black, leaned over and grabbed the phone before driving off at speed

The Mayor said he wanted ‘second-hand stolen phones to be completely useless’ and welcomed the development of new technology tools to achieve this

Following his visit, Mr Khan said he ‘welcomed’ the new security tools from Google 

It will lock the screen to stop the thief accessing the phone or any data stored on it.

Dave Burke, Android’s vice president of engineering, said earlier this year that the new theft detection tool had in part been inspired by feedback it had received from staff and users in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and London, where he said high levels of phone theft were being reported.

‘Some pretty scary statistics I learned fairly recently (were that) in Sao Paolo, a phone is stolen every five minutes, and in London a phone is stolen every six minutes,’ he said.

‘That is a really serious issue, and we started thinking about it, what we can do, and we started studying [the issue].’

He added that the company had studied videos of phone thefts carried out on bikes to develop the new feature.

Google has also devised a third anti-theft tool, which allows users to remotely lock their device using just their phone number and keep their personal data safe in the moments after it has been taken or discovered as lost.

Speaking to The Standard, Mr Khan said: ‘I actually want, as the ultimate prize, for second-hand stolen phones to be completely useless, for the parts not to be used by organised criminals and others, and that’s why those who make phones – mobile phone companies – need to do more still. 

‘At the same time, the police are working incredibly hard targeting crime hotspots, targeting organised criminals, bearing down on those who steal phones or try to steal phones. It’s a joint effort with the police and the phone companies.’ 

Following his visit to the tech giant, Mr Khan said he ‘welcomed’ the new security tools from Google.

Tech giant Google has developed three tools to help users in the event of a mobile phone theft

Theft Detection Lock will automatically lock a phone’s screen to prevent thieves from getting into the device, and a new AI-powered tool will be able to detect when a phone has been snatched from the owner’s hand

He wrote on X: ‘While the Met is taking targeted action against phone theft with patrols in the worst hotspots, it’s too easy and profitable for criminals to repurpose and sell on stolen phones.’ 

The development of new security features on mobile phones comes as the capital continues to be in the grip of a phone-snatching frenzy.

Figures published in September show snatch thefts – grabs of phones and handbags –  have risen by 150 per cent in the last year. 

Of the 78,000 reported in England and Wales in the last year, almost three quarters happened in London.

Phone thefts of all kinds have exploded in the capital. Met Police data shows the number of reported mobile phone thefts almost doubled from 48,209 in 2018 to 94,341 in 2023. 

Soberingly, the number of people charged in connection with phone thefts in the same year is lower despite the huge rise in calls to the police.

Met Police Commander Owain Richards described the thefts as ‘invasive’ and sometimes ‘violent’, adding that the regular hotspot areas include Westminster, Lambeth and Newham. 

And Dep Supt Saj Hussain, the Metropolitan police’s lead officer for phone theft, told the Guardian the majority of victims are school-age children.

For those thinking of fighting back, he advises against it. Met figures suggest a quarter of snatch thefts involve a knife.

Horrifying recent footage of a stand-off in Tottenham Court Road shows a man yelling at a masked e-bike rider in the middle of the road clutching a huge, serrated combat-style blade. 

DS Hussain is not surprised that London has become a hotspot for the so-called ‘i-jackers’. 

‘It’s the largest metropolis, it’s the area that most people come to visit both nationally and internationally. It’s got a lot of footfall, especially tourists,’ he said.

‘We have some of the best transport networks in the world in London. The Elizabeth line has been wonderful for me to commute, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity for those that have been committing thefts elsewhere to come into London, which is a more lucrative market. 

‘It’s the opportunists’ capital of the nation. You can’t change that.’

The phones are typically swiped by thugs to pawn off or send abroad, as recounted by a number of people on TikTok who share images of the Find My iPhone app showing their Apple devices travelling to China or other far-flung lands.

Emma Hall, 44, whose phone was pinched in Leyton High Street in north London, told MailOnline earlier this year how her phone found itself in Shenzhen – the Asian country’s answer to Silicon Valley, such is its reputation for harbouring electronics businesses.

MailOnline’s new map shows the apparent routes young crooks are taking on a regular basis in and around Hyde Park 

She recalled: ‘I had my phone in my jacket pocket and as I crossed the road I took my phone out, literally just to text my husband to say ‘get me a Prosecco, I’m on route’.

‘As soon as I did three lads on bikes went right past me on the pavement and one grabbed my phone.

‘The scary thing is they come so close and fast next to you. It was just so quick and I went over to the bar all shook up.’

Ministers have vowed to do more to tackle the spate of phone thefts by urging manufacturers to make devices harder to unlock, ‘designing out’ the ability for used handsets to be sold on.

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said last month of the latest figures: ‘Phone companies must ensure that any stolen phones can be quickly, easily and permanently disabled, rather than re-registered for sale on the second-hand market, and we will be meeting them soon to discuss what further action is required to make that happen.

‘If we work together, government, tech companies and law enforcement can break the business model of the phone thieves and moped gangs who rely on this trade.’

But devices can be valuable even if they can’t be unlocked: stripped down for the fractions of grams of rare metals inside that can then be sold on to unscrupulous traders.

IT and cyber-security expert Thomas Balogun told MailOnline there are pockets of gangs in the UK who will sell stolen phones to cyber criminals overseas.

‘There’s a strong demand for phone parts in China because of the large population. There’s also less stringent regulations around individual parts,’ he said.

‘Eighty-percent of the time it’s for the components in the phone, to refurbish someone else’s phone or to remake it into something else’.

The advice, as with all valuables, is the same as ever: be vigilant, keep phones out of sight, and make sure devices are locked down with a PIN code or facial and fingerprint recognition enabled to protect your data should the worst happen.

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has vowed to work with phone makers to make devices less lucrative targets of theft – but there are concerns phones will still be sold for parts

Police are trying to fight back – and say the best advice is to contact the police as quickly as possible after the theft has occurred as it maximises the chances of the criminals being brought to justice.

Commenting on the phone theft crisis, the Met said earlier this month: ‘We understand the impact that mobile phone theft can have on victims – it’s an invasive and sometimes violent crime – and we’re committed to protecting Londoners and tackling this issue as we make the capital safer.

‘Met officers are targeting resources to hotspot areas, such as Westminster, Lambeth and Newham, with increased patrols and plain clothes officers which deter criminals and make officers more visibly available to members of the community.

‘We continue to use data and technology to build intelligence and track stolen items to target offenders. 

‘We are also working with phone firms to ‘design out’ the ability for phones to be reused and sold on as we seek to dismantle the criminal market that fuels robbery and theft.

‘We encourage people to report as soon as they can whenever they have been a victim of mobile phone theft, so officers can investigate swiftly.’

Nearly 52,000 devices were stolen in the capital last year as criminals on mopeds and e-bikes used violence and distraction techniques to target victims.  

The worst-hit borough in 2023 was the City of Westminster, where tourists flock for theatre shows and high-end shopping, with 18,863 reported incidents in the year to December – up 47 per cent from 12,836 in the previous 12 months.

Camden was the second worst affected, with 4,806 incidents, followed by Southwark (4,376), Hackney (2,761), Newham (2,585), Lambeth (2,394) and Islington (2,117).