Extra resources are being drafted in from the Home Office, Scotland Yard and the National Crime Agency to tackle sophisticated crime networks that have made Islington “the phone theft capital of the world”.

The Met has recently launched two successful operations clamping down on phone thieves, but little is known about the organised networks which redistribute the stolen phones and supply thieves with cash or drugs.

Community safety chief Paul Convery told the Tribune: “Until we start to get some help in disrupting these networks it will continue to be open season.”

Phone thefts are to be discussed at a crime summit in Islington tomorrow (Saturday).

A review of Islington Council’s new youth crime strategy, published last month, gave an insight into the crime networks behind the phone thefts.

“It appears as if new distribution channels have emerged within the organised crime world,” it said. “Although there are evidently individual intermediaries here in Islington, they form part of a sophisticated supply chain that provides cash in return for stolen phones and exports and repurposes these phones abroad. Interdiction of this market requires the support of London-wide, national and international investigative resources.”

The council has called in the Home Office, which carried out an investigation last month, and is meeting senior officers at Scotland Yard within weeks. It will be asking the National Crime Agency to investigate.

“There’s very little light being shed on the supply chains that are getting mobile phones out of Islington and repurposing them, and who supplies the cash for them,” Cllr Convery said.

“Mobile phone theft has gone on for five years and there have been efforts to disrupt supply chains but they keep re-forming. We seem to be the pinnacle for this kind of offence, and there are a whole range of factors for this, including the high number of young professionals working in the tech industry.”

He added: “It’s a very sophisticated fencing operation. It seems to go hand-in-hand with the supply of drugs and that leads us to organised crime very quickly.

“There’s a strong suspicion that there is some high-tech involvement, that the phones are no longer exported but that they’re reset and then distributed in the UK. Three years ago they would be sent to places like Dubai, India, Thailand and sold there. There’s a suspicion that may no longer be the case.”

The Town Hall estimates that about 200 Islington youngsters are involved in this type of crime, usually carried out on bikes and mopeds.

Between October and December, 635 snatches were reported in Islington – more than 10 a day. As a result of “firm enforcement tactics” during the latter half of last year, snatch offences dropped considerably. However, towards the end of the year, a number of young offenders were released from custody and, despite offender management, there has been a significant new rise in theft snatches.

The number of young people under the focus of Operation Attrition, launched in Camden and Islington, continues to increase, with the figure currently at 85. Of the top 12 offenders, seven are from Islington.

• Residents and community groups are invited to Islington’s Crime and Safety Summit in Islington Assembly Hall at 10am tomorrow (Saturday).

• Keywords
  THEFT, MOBILE PHONES, POLICING, CRIME
• Geographical keyword
  ISLINGTON (LONDON BOROUGH)
• Persons keyword
  , , Home Office