Revealed: Scale of moped crime around Archway station
Moped crooks are targeting people outside Archway station. Picture: Ian Wright/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0 - Credit: Archant
There have been 274 thefts and robberies reported in the ward around Archway station since January, according to police.
Of those, 46 have been moped-enabled offences.
The Gazette requested the figures from Junction cops after being told by readers the station had become a hotspot for moped crime in recent months.
One man, who works near the station but didn’t want to be named, told the Gazette: “A policewoman who came and attended one stolen phone incident a couple of weeks ago, said 700 mobiles [in total] have been stolen outside this station.
“I’ve heard from locals that they are out on the mopeds most evenings. They are wearing balaclavas and targeting the whole area around the station. They start up by the Whittington Hospital and ride down to the station. They do rounds, looking for people with phones in their hands.”
The man added: “They scare the living daylights out of some people. One woman had been victim of two attempted phone snatches in a week. I had to escort her to the taxi rank, as she wouldn’t leave the station on her own.”
Station staff have stuck warning notices in the ticket halls.
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Officers, meanwhile, have urged people to make life more difficult for moped thieves – for example, by not using phones while walking and staying away from the roadside.
Junction Pc Aaron Gage assured: “Arrests are being made monthly by the Junction neighbourhood team and other specialist units.
“The Junction neighbourhood team, assisted by other north Islington police teams, are executing warrants signed by the courts for drugs and stolen property on suspects responsible for the theft problem.
“We are working hard to keep the public safe and make the streets a hostile territory for criminals who use scooters, mopeds, motorbikes and bicycles to snatch valuables from members of the public.”
In the last financial year, 2,417 moped-related offences were recorded in Islington: the highest in London by 590.
This story was amended after police told the Gazette they had supplied inaccurate data on Wednesday. We were originally told there were 274 moped-enabled thefts and robberies, which is what we reported.
