Fish Fingers! Ingenious Londoner reveals way to stop moped phone snatchers dead in their tracks

A Londoner has come up with an ingenious way to stop moped phone snatchers dead in their tracks - and it involves 'fish paste'.

Comedian Maddie Campion tried to trick gadget thieves in the capital by filling an empty case with taramasalata before walking around with the 'phone' out.

She said she hoped snatchers who thought they had nabbed a new phone, instead were left with 'fishy hands'.

In a video posted on TikTok , Maddie said: 'Having your phone snatched in London is a major fear but what if instead of being scared of losing your phone, phone snatchers were scared of grabbing a phone case that is actually filled with fish paste.

'This is a solution, not the solution but imagine them thinking they are going to get a new phone but oh no they're getting fishy hands.

'No one likes the smell of fish and they always are wearing gloves. Take that you robbing rascals.

'Yeah it might not solve the problem but it does change the power dynamic, doesn't it. Buy your own phone fish hands.'

It comes as London is in the grips of a phone snatching 'epidemic' with thieves grabbing mobiles out of people's hands.

The most common tactic used by the criminals is to whizz past on an e-bike or moped and take the phone while their victim is distracted.

Figures show that Westminster is the worst area in London for the crime with a shocking 22,253 incidents reported in the year leading up to September 2024.

One shocking video from earlier this year shows the moment a thief on a bike snatches a victim's phone from her hands in broad daylight at a bus stop in central London.

In the video, a cyclist dressed all in black rides up to a group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London's West End.

The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman's hands and speeds off.

And in April, horrifying footage was shared on social media of a thief on a bike grabbing a woman's mobile phone from her hands in Albany Place, Marylebone.

The clip was uploaded with the caption: 'Keep your head on swivel when in London.'

The victim is seen in the video attempting to chase after the offender while calling out: 'Hey, come back here.'

Another cyclist in a balaclava had passed by her in the seconds beforehand.

Similarly in March, two masked thieves were seen snatching a phone and fleeing on their bikes in Hampstead, north London - before crashing into an incoming car.

Terrified locals have spoken out against the problem with Paul, who works by the London Eye, saying: 'I see it [phone snatching] all the time. I would say every day.

'It's worst around this touristy part of London - particularly along Westminster Bridge.

'It happens to tourists a lot because they're unaware. I try to warn them but it doesn't always work.

'One time, a family asked someone to take a photo of them in front of the London Eye.

'And the guy they chose ran off with their phone.

'Usually though, they come past on their bikes and snatch the phone before anyone has a chance to react.

'It's a real issue.'

The 51-year-old said he sees the same culprits at work again and again.

'There are groups of them who are here all the time,' Paul said. 'The police know about them.

'Sometimes, they get arrested. But they're back 24 hours later and doing it again.

'And they don't always target tourists. One of the other guys who works around here got his phone stolen near Waterloo Station.

'And he's a big guy - I wouldn't want to mess with him.

'I've had them trying to steal my phone too. Even though they know that I know who they are.

'It's bold.'

Ovye, who works for a bus tour company, said the thieves target 'anyone' - including children.

He said: 'It can happen to anyone. I once saw someone snatch a phone out of a little girl's hand while she was taking a picture.

'She can't have been more than four years old. Unbelievable.'

The 36-year-old said the issue is particularly bad around the Marble Arch area - but admitted he had little faith in the police taking action.

He said: 'It happened to one of my colleagues while she was in Marble Arch. It happens so quickly.

'But the police don't do anything. They know it's happening but they're not bothered about it.'

His colleague Tom, 31, added: '[The criminals] have their tricks.

'They go past on their bikes while people are at a traffic light and looking at their phone.

'They take it straight out of their hands.

'Around here, I see it happening to tourists a lot - as they're a bit naive to the situation.

'It's a shame as they think they're in London - one of the greatest cities in the world - and so they'll be safe.

'But that's not the case.'

The problem is also prolific in other European cities such as Barcelona with tourists and locals there too fighting back.

Two Australians posted a video on TikTok of them trying to take a selfie with a pickpocket if they had their phone stolen.

The pair were carrying a sign that read: 'This person just pickpocket my friend.'

One of the tourists left their phone in a prominent position in their back pocket while the other was ready to capture the pickpocket if they pounced.

Las Ramblas in Barcelona is now considered to be a particular hot spot for thieves and locals regularly warn tourists to avoid to area at night.

A British holidaymaker was stabbed in this area while bravely trying to fight a gang of four violent thugs who snatched his bag in Barcelona in September 2022.

The tourist was having a drink on a terrace in Placa Sant Josep Oriol near Las Ramblas when his bag was grabbed. He ran after the robbers and managed to restrain one of the four, before wrestling over the bag in front of shocked onlookers.

But the thief then took out a sharp object from his pocket and repeatedly tried to stab him before making contact with the side of his torso.