As an expatriated Brit, it always makes me laugh when someone living in London asks if the latest place I’m living is ‘dangerous.’ My brother in Christ, you live in one of Europe’s crime hotspots; take the log out of your own eye.
A runner recalled the moment they were out for an early morning jog, when a thief snatched their phone out of their hand. People are often fooled into thinking that the UK is a nice place. They see Harry Potter and Bridgerton, and believe we’re all good folks.
But, in London alone, there were almost half a million reported theft offenses in 2023-24. That’s just the recorded ones; many go unreported due to the futility of getting police involved. Last year, the Met reported that only 6.4% of thefts saw someone being caught and charged in London. National averages are significantly lower.
So, when this holidaymaker, on a morning job, had their phone stolen, they were resigned to never getting it back. But through some clever thinking and a little perseverance, they beat the odds.
Find My iPhone..s?
“I felt something brush past my right hand. Before I realized what had happened, a young man on a motorized bike wearing a balaclava turned back to me, holding my iPhone,” Peter Devlin recalled, writing for the New York Post.
It’s always a shock being mugged, but for most Londoners, it’s a regular occurrence. Welcome to England, Peter. Being mugged is part of the cultural experience.
Shocked, he gave chase for about two blocks. But the phone thief was on a bike, and there was little chance of his catching up. So, he jogged home and quickly blocked his phone and cards. Then, using his phone tracking app, he located his stolen device.
He called the police, explaining he had been mugged and lost his phone, but they were honest and told him there was little chance of getting it back, despite the location being known. So, Devlin took matters into his own hands.
Noticing that, after the mugging, his phone hadn’t moved, he decided to go to the location it was showing, and see if he could get it back. “Near a downpipe, I found what looked like a brick wrapped in aluminium foil. I peeled back the wrapper and discovered six phones, including mine, inside.”
Remarkably, the police turned up shortly after Peter did. According to them, they were most likely stashed for pickup by someone who would hack them all and resell.