Moped riders mount pavement to steal pedestrian’s mobile in South Woodford

A pair of moped riders mounted a pavement to snatch a pedestrian’s mobile phone.

A witness said two men were weaving in and out of traffic across the bridge over the A406 in High Road, South Woodford, near to Waitrose.

The pair then rode onto the pavement and stole a phone right out of the hands of an unsuspecting walker.

Police were called at approximately 4pm on September 3 to reports of a robbery.

“A man in his 20s had a phone snatched out of his hand by two males on a moped,” a Met Police spokesman confirmed.

“There are no reports of any injuries, no arrest and inquires continue.”

Mark Glazer, chairman of Redbridge Neighbourhood Watch, said that there is a trend amongst young people using mopeds with blacked out number plates “as a means of transportation to steal mobile phones and spray acid”.

“I am reminding residents to be vigilant and look out for mopeds coming near them,” he told the Recorder.

“If you are a mobile phone owner don’t take it out on the street, it is like a jewel to a magpie.”

Mr Glazer also warned against residents uploading videos of alleged crimes to social media.

“People are starting to fall into the habit of posting videos on social media and this practice can interfere with police investigations,” he added.

“It can also expose the resident who is posting to possible recriminations.”