A quick-thinking policeman administered some speedy justice last week after chasing the a suspected phone thief.

At around 5pm on February 17 the woman was walking along Cranbrook Road holding her iPhone when she was approached by a man who snatched it from her hand.

The woman ran after him but lost sight of the thief.

Pc Dean Polliket, who was called to the scene, saw a man who matched the description given by the victim 200 metres away.

The man resisted arrest and began to run away, so Mr Polliket gave chase towards Barkingside High Street.

The chase ended in Maple Leaf Gardens, Barkingside, where the policeman found the victim’s phone in the man’s pocket.

He was arrested and cautioned by 9pm that evening, meaning that from the complaint being lodged it took just four hours to return the woman’s phone to her.

Emphasising the importance of the Met Police Love Your Phone campaign, a Redbridge Police spokesman said: “Keep it out of sight, do not walk along texting and be aware of your surroundings.”