Dozens of police officers will be deployed in the West End to help crack down on phone thefts and help people feel safer in one of the most crime-ridden parts of London.
An extra 80 officers will patrol the West End and St James’s wards in central London following investment from the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan.
Earlier this year, it was revealed around 957,481 crimes were recorded across London in the 12 months to December 2024, a rise of two per cent on the year before.
Westminster had the highest number with 91,380, more than double that of the nearest densely populated borough of Camden (42,569), Newham (39,990), Southwark (39,500), Lambeth (38,116) and Croydon (35,374).
Further figures show that the West End is the worst area of the country for phone theft, with nearly 18 stolen devices reported each day on Oxford Street.
There were 6,539 reports of phone theft last year on Oxford Street, Scotland Yard revealed.
Neighbouring Regent Street saw 2,002 devices stolen between January and December 2024.
Shaftsbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road in the capital’s Theatreland and Wardour Street had 1,032, then 946, and 929 phone thefts respectively.
Cities of London and Westminster MP Rachel Blake said: “These new police officers in the West End will help crack down on phone thefts and improve safety for local people and all Londoners.”
Westminster City Council said the extra officers will help existing teams in the West End and St James’s and will help reduce the pressure on safer neighbourhood teams in Westminster.
An extra 200 CCTV cameras were also introduced by the Labour-run council to help tackle crime in central London.
Westminster Council Leader Adam Hug said: “We’re delighted to see this new investment to tackle crime in central Westminster from the Mayor and Met.
“Westminster Labour has been making the case for extra police, so we are delighted that our concerns have been listened to.
“These new officers will make a real difference, complementing the work we are doing as a Council to help make our streets safer.”
