Crackdown on the e-bike phone muggers terrorising London: Moment officers pursue thieves along pavements, through parks and down alleys as Met arrest 187 in capital-wide operation

Dramatic footage of police officers pursuing suspected e-bike phones thieves has been released as the Met announced nearly 200 people have been arrested in major operation targeting the gangs terrorising London.Officers' bodycams captured the increasingly chaotic scenes faced by Metropolitan Police during their crackdown on phone thefts in the capital.The Met hunted gangs who use high-powered e-bikes and mopeds to snatch phones and valuables from unsuspecting pedestrians before speeding away.As a result, 187 thieves were arrested and 157 e-bikes, mopeds and other vehicles were seized.The operation, which ran from February to July, focused on the thefts prolific in Westminster and other central London hotspots, with plain-clothed and uniformed officers carrying out patrols and stopping people known to police or linked to previous incidents.Specialist officers were also on hand to respond immediately when a theft was reported, using tracking data from stolen phones to follow suspects.Expertly trained police riders could then pursue the alleged thieves through busy and pedestrianised areas – giving officers a chance to catch suspects who might otherwise escape on two wheels.Extraordinary clips show police racing along pavements, through parks and down narrow alleys as they chase down offenders – with one video showing a member of the public kicking an alleged thief from his e-bike before another rushes to help officers detain him. The footage captures the increasingly chaotic scenes faced by police hunting gangs who use high-powered e-bikes and mopeds to snatch phones and valuables from unsuspecting victims The Met has revealed that a major crackdown on the criminals has resulted in 187 arrests and the seizure of 157 vehicles The operation, which ran from February to July, targeted prolific thieves in Westminster and other London hotspots where e-bike and moped-enabled crime was prevalentThe Met said e-bike-related crime fell by 22 per cent during the operation in areas including Lambeth and Southwark, as well as major tourist and transport hubs such as Waterloo and London Bridge.The operation also targeted those carrying weapons and involved in drug offences, with officers making arrests for a range of crimes including robbery and theft.Among those caught was a 17-year-old boy who was spotted riding a moped allegedly linked to a phone theft earlier that morning.Officers attempted to stop him, triggering a short pursuit before he was intercepted. When he was later searched a knife was allegedly uncovered. He was subsequently charged with driving offences and possession of an offensive weapon and bailed to appear at Croydon Magistrates' Court on October 1.In another case, officers spotted a 22-year-old man wanted over robbery offences riding an illegal e-bike.When police approached, he allegedly accelerated towards them and struck an officer with his bike.He was detained by another officer and arrested on suspicion of robbery and assaulting an emergency worker.Police said they found several stolen mobile phones wrapped in tin foil during a search, allegedly in an attempt to interfere with their tracking signals.The man was charged and remanded in custody to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court. National Police Air Service support officers during chase. The Met has also stepped up its efforts to seize illegal and modified e-bikes being used on London's roads, with more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters seized so far this year In one extraordinary incident, a member of the public can be seen kicking an alleged thief from his e-bike before another civilian rushes to help officers detain him And in Soho, officers approached a 23-year-old man who immediately ran away.Police said he allegedly dropped a knife during the pursuit before being detained and arrested for possession of an offensive weapon. He was later bailed until October.The Met has also stepped up its efforts to seize illegal and modified e-bikes being used on London's roads, with more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters seized so far this year.The force has expanded its fleet of high-powered Sur-Ron e-bikes from five to 25, allowing officers to pursue suspects using illegal bikes who might otherwise be able to escape.Detective Superintendent Gareth Gilbert, who led the operation, said: 'Through targeted operations like this, we are staying one step ahead of the criminals who use high-powered bikes or mopeds to steal from Londoners.'By disrupting this criminality and making hundreds of arrests, we're making London a safer place to live, work and visit. Our approach is working, with neighbourhood crime down 14 per cent over the past year and 13,000 fewer phone thefts.'The crackdown comes amid growing concern over the use of e-bikes in crime and serious road incidents.It comes as Forest bikes in Richmond, west London, are set to be fitted with number plates in a bid to make riders easier to identify.One third of the 1,500-bike fleet will be fitted with five-digit ID codes, matching numbers already printed beneath the QR codes used to activate the bikes.The move follows figures showing nearly 39,000 incidents involving e-bikes were recorded by police forces across Britain over the past three years.The incidents include road collisions, robberies, assaults, drug offences and sexual offences, as well as pedestrians being struck.E-bikes were involved in nearly 1,000 road traffic collisions during the period, while more than 700 incidents were recorded under 'violence against the person'.There were also 60 drugs offences, 40 involving possession of weapons and 84 sexual offences.Police were unable to identify a suspect in more than a third of the cases, totalling 3,396 incidents.Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police recorded more than 9,600 incidents between them over the three years.West Yorkshire Police recorded one of the sharpest increases, with incidents rising from 1,798 in 2023 to 4,001 last year – a 122 per cent increase. The force recorded 8,647 incidents in total.The figures included nearly 500 road traffic collisions and more than 5,700 anti-social behaviour and crime-related incidents, including 250 robberies, 156 arson and criminal damage incidents and 19 drug offences.The force said it was unable to identify a suspect in 1,655 cases. A civilian helps to tackle an alleged criminal as the individual tries to run away from the police Ms Peters's face was smashed into a wall and she received very serious and complex injuries This was the moment teenage e-bike rider Billy Stokoe mowed down and killed grandmother Gloria Stephenson on a zebra crossing in an incident that shocked the nation There have been a number of high-profile incidents involving e-bikes in recent years.Earlier this year, a woman claimed she was thrown face-first into a brick wall by a Forest bike rider, suffering severe facial and dental injuries.Sandy Peters told the Daily Mail: 'The bike was going full-pelt and I was hit with such brutal force and speed that there were no defensive injuries.'I didn't have time to put out my hands or arms, so my face smashed straight into the wall.'BBC broadcaster Nicky Campbell has also spoken publicly about a hit-and-run involving his daughter Lilla, 26, in Peckham, south London.She was left 'badly injured' after the incident, which Mr Campbell described as 'a long and emotional night'.In another case, teenager Billy Stokoe was jailed for six years and nine months after killing 86-year-old grandmother Gloria Stephenson on a zebra crossing in Sunderland last year.Stokoe had taken cannabis and was using a mobile phone when he struck her.Despite the concerns surrounding e-bike crime, the Met said personal theft and robbery across London have fallen in 2026.The theft of personal items and mobile phones has dropped by 15.6 per cent, while robbery has fallen by 12.8 per cent.The force said the 187 arrests were part of its wider efforts to tackle weapons and violent crime.Last year, officers seized 676 firearms and 2,894 knives from London's streets.Do you have a story? 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