Local police have installed the new sign in an effort to warn people about the risk of moped crime in the area.
Navigator’s Square, just outside the tube station, is a hotspot for moped crime and now has a dot matrix sign on display in the centre of the plaza.
The sign alternates between messages telling passers by to be “beware of thieves” and to “love your phone”.
There are also smaller panels attached to lampposts on Junction Road and Highgate Hill, carrying similar messages.
Residents have reacted angrily on Twitter calling the signage “awful”.
One describes the signs as “10% useless”. Another said that this is just a “scary sign promoting our neighbourhood as a high crime area.”
One resident said it ‘promoted neighbourhood crime’
One resident even went so far as to describe the ‘love your phone’ message as “victim blaming”.
One resident says the new sign is ‘victim blaming’
Local resident James Ibbeston had his phone stolen by moped riders just after Christmas.
He told City News that he didn’t feel any safer with the signs in the area, because it’s “not doing enough”.
He said: “The ideal answer is having more bobbies on the beat.
“You don’t see a lot of coppers around here anymore, but the problem is the Met don’t have the money for it.”
The Junction Ward policing team has tried to reassure residents, saying that the signage is only temporary, and is being used alongside other measures to tackle the problem.
Last October, a moped thief was caught on camera walking into a busy cafe in Archway and taking a woman’s laptop out of her hands.
The robber, who targeted the woman at the Bread and Bean Cafe, then fled the scene on his moped.
The footage shows how the raid took place in just under 10 seconds.
According to the Metropolitan Police, crimes of this nature have dropped by 25% in the last month, thanks to a crackdown on moped gangs.
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HeadlineArchway locals: sign to tackle phone theft ‘awful’
Short HeadlineArchway locals: police sign 'awful'
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Local police have installed the new sign in an effort to warn people about the risk of moped crime in the area.
Navigator’s Square, just outside the tube station, is a hotspot for moped crime and now has a dot matrix sign on display in the centre of the plaza.
The sign alternates between messages telling passers by to be “beware of thieves” and to “love your phone”.
There are also smaller panels attached to lampposts on Junction Road and Highgate Hill, carrying similar messages.
Residents have reacted angrily on Twitter calling the signage “awful”.
One describes the signs as “10% useless”. Another said that this is just a “scary sign promoting our neighbourhood as a high crime area.”
One resident said it ‘promoted neighbourhood crime’
One resident even went so far as to describe the ‘love your phone’ message as “victim blaming”.
One resident says the new sign is ‘victim blaming’
Local resident James Ibbeston had his phone stolen by moped riders just after Christmas.
He told City News that he didn’t feel any safer with the signs in the area, because it’s “not doing enough”.
He said: “The ideal answer is having more bobbies on the beat.
“You don’t see a lot of coppers around here anymore, but the problem is the Met don’t have the money for it.”
The Junction Ward policing team has tried to reassure residents, saying that the signage is only temporary, and is being used alongside other measures to tackle the problem.
Last October, a moped thief was caught on camera walking into a busy cafe in Archway and taking a woman’s laptop out of her hands.
