LONDON, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- London's most famous shopping street, Oxford Street, has seen a dramatic 2,000-percent rise in the number of ride-by moped thefts and robberies, figures released by the Metropolitan Police revealed on Wednesday.
Last year, almost 300 ride-by offences were reported in Oxford Street, compared to just 13 in 2014-15. Regent Street saw the number of ride-by thefts from 3 to 91 over the same period.
Cellphones snatched from users as they walked along the streets accounted for most of the crimes.
Around 200 million people a year famous the capital's famous streets, Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street.
Overall figures show ride-by moped thefts and robberies in London's top shopping streets have gone up six-fold in just two years. Thefts in Oxford Street have gone up by over 2,000 percent in just a few years.
Criminologists described the thefts as the "crime of the moment" saying Oxford Street's crowds give thieves cover.
Media reports in London Thursday said the big rise was partly down to "cellphone zombies" who stare at their mobile devices as they walk down the street.
What is described as a relatively new phenomenon is seeing thieves on mopeds speed onto pavements, snatching phones out of the hands of pedestrians. Mostly the thieves sit two to a bike, so one can drive while the other grabs the cellphones.
Dr Simon Harding, associate professor of criminology at the University of West London, commented: "If you look at mobile phones five years ago, they were pretty much in our pockets unless we got a phone call. Nowadays people are phone zombies. They are on their phone walking along the street, bumping into people, not knowing where they are going."
London's Met Police is striking back with action to tackle the rise in street crimes, saying the numbers of thefts are now falling. Tactics being developed include the use of remote controlled spikes to puncture the tires of mopeds ridden by suspected thieves.
Met Police Superintendent Mark Payne said: "Offenders rely on the unwariness of the public to snatch their phones while they make calls so it is important to be aware at all times, particularly when emerging from a train or underground station."
Payne said intensive police operations in the London's West End have led to a decrease in moped-enabled crime since last October.
