A suspected phone snatcher was restrained by fellow passengers on a Thameslink platform at Blackfriars railway station on Tuesday night before British Transport Police officers arrived and arrested a man in his 20s, authorities said.
Police were called to the station at about 10:30 p.m. following reports that a phone had been stolen. Passengers at the scene held the man on the platform, pressing his body and legs to stop him leaving while they demanded he unlock the phone to prove ownership. Witnesses said the man protested and at one point appeared to shout that his leg was broken.
A British Transport Police spokesman said officers attended Blackfriars and arrested a man in his 20s, who was taken into custody. Upon being searched, officers found three mobile phones, a bank card bearing a different name and a backpack containing a laptop, the force said. Detectives are handling the investigation.
Blackfriars station, which spans the River Thames and connects to the Tube network below, has an annual footfall of about 16 million passengers. The incident occurred on the Thameslink platforms while trains were still running amid an ongoing London Underground strike.
Data from the Metropolitan Police shows mobile phone thefts across London rose to record levels in 2024, with 116,656 reported incidents, equivalent to roughly 13 phones stolen every hour. The total marked an increase of about 1,300 incidents on the previous 12 months and was more than 50% higher than the figure recorded in 2017. Despite the high number of reports, police charging data for the year showed 169 suspects were charged and seven received cautions. The boroughs recording the most phone thefts were Westminster, Camden and Southwark, with 34,039, 10,907 and 7,316 incidents respectively.
British Transport Police said the man remained in custody as officers completed enquiries. The force did not provide further details on any charges. The investigation will determine whether offences can be proven and whether any additional arrests are necessary.