It happens in a heartbeat. The whirr of a bike, the brush of a sleeve, and in seconds your whole digital life can be compromised. The pattern of shock and disbelief happens hundreds of times a day on British streets.

The impact of phone theft is often more than financial.

Fenella Rawling's brand-new iPhone 16 was snatched during a shopping trip in Cambridge in August.

On the device were reams of precious memories of her mother, who has incurable lung cancer, which have now been lost forever as the photos weren't backed up and her iCloud had not been set up.

"These are memories that I will never ever ever get back," she said through tears.

Using an app called Find My, Fenella could see in real time her mobile phone travelling by train to London. A week later, it was in Dubai. Then China. Then came a glut of phishing texts asking her to disclose her account details or wipe the phone.

"I don't know how long I will have with my mum," she added. "I don't want to lose anything."

Stories like Fenella's have become increasingly common as organised crime groups pivot to stealing phones which can fetch up to £400 per stolen device.

Convicted phone snatcher Sonny Stringer was found to have stolen 24 phones in one hour. He was sentenced to two years in prison in August last year.

"It's rich pickings in London," said Paul Brennan, chairman of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association.

"No one thinks anything is going to happen to them, until it happens to them, that's the problem. The chances of it happening are skyrocketing," he said.

"It's always on an electric bike because they can get away........

© BBC