Islington is the worst borough in London for moped-related crime.

There has been a spike in thefts of mobile phones and other devices carried out by moped riders.

The thieves often mount pavements and snatch phones from victims’ hands without stopping.

There were 4,637 such incidents in London in the year to July 2016, a four-fold increase on the previous twelve months. Since 2011, the increase in moped-related crimes has exceeded 1,000%.

Islington is a particular hot spot, with over half the incidents in the last year taking place within the borough. Operation Attrition was launched in April 2015 to tackle the issue.

Inspector Steven Murfin, who leads the operation, believes the problem is “ingrained” in Islington.

“It’s passed down from brother to brother, father to son, and father to daughter as well,” he explained.

“It’s the hotspot and centre for the Metropolitan Police so I believe it’s passed around from there.

“Ultimately, if you’re in a criminal network you’re trained to deal with it, and that’s where the training seems to have come from at the moment.”

Despite its deep roots, Inspector Murfin does believe the issue can be tackled, and that Operation Attrition is making a difference.

“There’s been about a 35% reduction in crime [since Attrition was launched] so it’s a massive reduction.

“We have got a good active grip on the problem. The aim is to reduce it quite drastically.

“The last few months have seen a fall. However, the month of November has seen a rise in offences. It’s one of the biggest issues currently facing the borough.

“We are diverting a lot of resources into dealing with it and we have Operation Attrition.

“It’s not going to disappear overnight, but longer-term we hope to eradicate [the problem].”

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