Stolen phones seized after helicopter chase

A teenage suspect in a mobile phone robbery was tracked by police helicopter before he was arrested and 16 stolen handsets were recovered.

The Met Police said officers also seized £1,000 in cash, a stolen e-bike and cannabis after pursuing the 16-year-old boy to an address in Belsize Park, north London, following reports of a theft in Euston on Thursday morning.

The suspect has been bailed pending further investigations.

It follows a recent Met Police operation in which 1,000 stolen smartphones were recovered in a single week.

Suspected phone-snatchers and those believed to be involved in the onward supply chain of stolen devices were targeted in the crackdown across several parts of the capital, aimed at tackling the "scourge of phone thefts".

Phone-tracking data and other forms of intelligence were used to trace suspects, the Met said.

Speaking about the latest arrest, Insp John Wilde said the force was "constantly building intelligence, linking offences and working to establish who might be responsible.

"These tactics, among others, are enabling us to get significant results like this, recovering stolen goods and drugs, and arresting those we suspect of committing offences."

The force has called on tech companies to help tackle smartphone theft, which was echoed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper at a summit on Thursday.

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