Mobile phones are being stolen in London at a rate of one every seven-and-a-half minutes, as the number of handsets snatched more than tripled in four years.
Figures show criminals took 70,137 devices last year - 192 a day.
Phone thefts are now a £50million underworld industry, with most flogged or disassembled for parts in China, according to the Metropolitan Police.
In 2020, only 20,000 phones were reported stolen.
Most are snatched by gang members on mopeds or electric bikes who grab devices out of owners’ hands and speed away before anything can be done.
Lady Victoria Hervey was targeted after attending a London Fashion Week event in Pimlico.
The daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol had recently moved back to the capital from Los Angeles, but the incident has left her considering a return to the US.
Westminster and the West End are hotspots for robbery as London becomes the phone snatch capital of Europe.
The Met and City of London forces have increased patrols and plain-clothed operations, alongside using phone-tracking data, to catch those handling stolen items.
Around 230 people were arrested in connection with phone theft by the Met who seized more than 1,000 handsets in one week last month.
Police are soon to be given powers to search properties without a court warrant.
The Crime and Policing Bill will mean officers will be able to search premises immediately with the approval of a senior officer, reducing the time for criminals to erase phone data or move the devices elsewhere.
Anna McEntee, of Comparethemarket.com – the website that submitted a Freedom of Information request, said: “Londoners and those visiting the capital will be concerned by the substantial rise in phone thefts last year.
“Criminals are becoming increasingly brazen in the city, often using mopeds or e-bikes to make a quick getaway.”
She advised the public to check if their phone was covered by existing home insurance and if not, to buy separate cover.
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