Police officers are using high-powered electric bikes to pursue suspected phone thieves through London’s streets, including along pavements and through areas inaccessible to cars and conventional motorcycles.
Body-worn footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows officers chasing offenders on their own Sur-Ron e-bikes as part of a wider crackdown on criminals using powerful two-wheelers to snatch mobile phones and escape into traffic. ([news.met.police.uk](https://news.met.police.uk/news/met-expands-fleet-of-crime-fighting-e-bikes-to-catch-offenders-512166))
The Met has increased its specialist e-bike fleet from five machines to 25. The force said the lightweight bikes can weave through congested roads, negotiate narrow routes and climb stairs, allowing officers to intervene within moments of an alleged theft. ([news.met.police.uk](https://news.met.police.uk/news/met-expands-fleet-of-crime-fighting-e-bikes-to-catch-offenders-512166))
In one incident on August 17, officers pursued a rider accused of illegally using an uninsured e-bike. The suspect lost control and was detained, while the bike was seized, the force said.
Footage from a second pursuit on August 21 shows an officer following a moped rider through traffic and into a housing estate. The rider fell and fled on foot before being arrested; police said he was a disqualified driver using false number plates and was carrying a significant quantity of Class A drugs. ([news.met.police.uk](https://news.met.police.uk/news/met-expands-fleet-of-crime-fighting-e-bikes-to-catch-offenders-512166))
The operation comes as the Met intensifies efforts against phone snatching, with officers using specialist pursuit teams, drones, automatic number plate recognition cameras and intelligence-led patrols. In a separate operation in south London in April, six people were arrested on suspicion of robbery after officers targeted suspected phone thieves around Southbank, Borough Market and Waterloo. ([news.met.police.uk](https://news.met.police.uk/news/met-officers-target-phone-thieves-in-friday-night-operation-508705))
The force said phone theft across London fell by more than 13,000 offences during the last financial year. It has also seized more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters so far this year, many of them modified or uninsured. ([news.met.police.uk](https://news.met.police.uk/news/met-expands-fleet-of-crime-fighting-e-bikes-to-catch-offenders-512166))
Police say criminals frequently mount pavements or ride dangerously through busy areas after taking a phone, making speed and manoeuvrability central to the response. The Met has warned people using their devices in public to remain alert to riders approaching from behind, particularly near stations, shopping areas and other crowded locations. ([met.police.uk](https://www.met.police.uk/phonesnatch?utm_source=openai))
