Based on recently released statistics, the number of gadget thefts committed by users of electric scooters and bikes in London has nearly tripled in the past year.
In the capital in 2022, burglars stole 108,900 devices, including about 90,000 mobile phones.
This sum reflects an increase of approximately 40%; daily thefts from city residents and tourists amounted to about 300.
Additionally, as the number of electric bikes and e-scooters on the streets has increased, so has the number of thieves taking advantage of them.
Freedom of information requests commissioned by insurance company Direct Line found electric bikes were used in 1,397 gadget thefts last year.
There were 424 carried out by people riding e-scooters too, meaning the number of thefts carried out by people riding the two vehicles rose by 185% in 2022.
But the true number is likely to be even higher, as some victims will not report incidents to the police.
Latest London news
The statistics, supplied by Scotland Yard and City of London Police, also show the number of thefts involving knives and other weapons has jumped up.
In 2021, there were 2,341 such incidents, but that figure rose by 6% to 2,480 last year.
Even more people were injured by thieves carrying weapons too, with 180 recorded in the statistics.
E-scooters can only be legally used on UK roads if they are rented as part of a government-backed trial scheme.
In London, those schemes are currently running in ten boroughs:
- Camden
- City of London
- Ealing
- Hammersmith & Fulham
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Lambeth (north of the borough only)
- Richmond upon Thames
- Southwark
- Tower Hamlets
- Westminster
The Metropolitan Police advises people to avoid texting while walking and to only use their phone for the briefest time possible on the street to limit opportunities for criminals.
Last month, it was revealed that a phone was snatched by thieves every six minutes in London, with only 2% of them recovered.