As it emerged that nine phones were stolen an hour by thieves in London last year, the Met Police appears to be pulling out all the stops to crack down on e-bike thugs.
Dramatic footage released by London's police force showed how one suspected thief speed between groups of pedestrians crossing the road in the middle of the capital as he was pursued by motorbike cops.
The balaclava-clad rider had allegedly stolen a £1,200 iPhone 16 Pro Max less than an hour beforehand on Whitechapel Road in Tower Hamlets, East London.
But he soon had helicopter and motorcycle crews hot on his trail who were tracking the stolen phone's signal as he tore across central London, locating him close to Marble Arch.
Helicopter footage captured him tearing dangerously through Piccadilly Circus and down Haymarket - home to His Majesty's Theatre - towards Trafalgar Square, shortly after 5pm.
