Phone thefts

I am a worker at the council, in the Substance misuse department and also a resident of Tower Hamlets, more specifically of the Brick Lane area. I would like to share a couple of personal stories of thefts that my close family members have experienced. While they may not be classed as serious crimes, I think the incidences may be connected to more serious / violent crimes and I feel there may have been an increase of this type of crime.

My husband's phone was stolen on Friday the 10th of May 2024 at 10:39 on Quaker St E1. It was snatched from his hand and he was shoved by a man on an electric bike, who was working with another man, who was also on an electric bike. They both wore helmets and face masks to conceal their identities, wore sports clothing and had rucksacks on their backs. We reported it to the police and as we had enough evidence they will investigate the incident further.

My mother's handbag, which contained her phone and purse was stolen from her shopping trolley at Whitechapel Sainsbury's about 6 months ago at about 13:00. We reported the crime immediately. My brother was able to track my mother's phone and was able to give the police its live location, which led them to an address in TH and the police raided the home and found many other stolen items, although we were unable to retireve my mother's phone.

My husband and I had witnessed a woman's phone get snatched from her, towards the end of 2023 outside the Spitalfield's market, by a man also on an electric bike. It was around 14:00 in the afternoon.