According to newly published figures from SquareTrade Insurance (USA), although accounting for only 10% of the total number of customers in the 12 European markets where SquareTrade operates, users in the UK account for 39% of compensation claims related to phone theft.
London alone, which is considered the hottest spot, recorded behind-the-scenes behind-the-scenes phone thefts in the UK and nearly half of all bank robberies nationwide. The city also accounts for 16% of all phone thefts in the whole of Europe.
SquareTrade data shows that phone thefts in the UK have skyrocketed by 425% since June 2021, with peaks usually falling in the summer and Christmas - the time when travel, festivals and shopping are bustling. Birmingham ranked second after London in terms of phone theft.
The crime survey in England and Wales conducted by the UK Statistics Office also confirmed this trend, saying that the number of " individual property thefts" in the year ending December 2024 increased by 50%, up to 483,000 cases, of which phones were the most stolen items.
Another study from Compare the Market published in early 2025 said that more than 70,000 phones were stolen in London in 2024, an average of about 1,349 cases per week. If they are replaced with the most premium phones today, the damage could be up to 70 million pounds.
According to London Urban Police, nearly 40% of the thefts occurred in Westminster and the West End - the busiest areas in the city.
Police estimate that the "phone theft" industry brings in about 50 million pounds per year to organized criminal gangs.
The increase in theft is believed to be related to economic pressure and a declining standard of living in the UK.
The National Economics and Social Research Service (NIESR) once commented that the country is no longer a country with high wages or benefits, leaving millions of people " between low wages and inadequate support for life".
In addition, illegal immigration has also been warned by authorities as a factor that could partially promote theft and organized crime, as many cross-border criminal networks are believed to have the participation of un documented immigrants.
