Britain’s new crime wave is headlined by muggers on mopeds. The capital city of London has seen almost a daily reporting of masked men on scooters committing crimes such as bag snatching, cellphone robberies, store break-ins, and even acid throwing.

Britain’s current interior minister Sajid Javid, who is in charge of the nation's policing and security, said he too was targeted by criminals on mopeds in north London. He told The Sun that the incident happened during his previous role as Communities Secretary.

Javid said, "It happened in a flash. I was walking out of Euston station and reached for my phone to call a taxi," the minister said. "It was brand new. Before I knew what was happening, it had gone. They just rode up, grabbed it and zoomed off… I was angry and upset but thought myself lucky not to have been stabbed or beaten up like many other victims who fall prey to these vicious criminals," he added.

Figures from the Metropolitan Police who police London — show there were 22,025 powered two-wheel vehicle crimes in London between June 2017 and May 2018. More than 60 crimes using mopeds or motorbikes were carried out every day in London on average over the past year - a 50% increase on the previous 12 months.

The Interior Minister’s revelation comes after Michael McIntyre, an English comedian, actor, and TV presenter was robbed of his Rolex watch by moped-riding thieves in a violent incident this week. The comedian was dropping of his child to school in his Range Rover in north London when thugs smashed the windows before stealing the Rolex.

And on June 4, a television crew filming on the streets of London had their $26,000 camera stolen by masked bandits — this time on bicycles.

Metropolitan Police says the most common crime is for pairs of masked robbers on mopeds to drive up to people looking at their phones. The passenger grabs the phone and the driver races away. The value of second-hand phones as well as a demand for parts such as screens and batteries has reportedly made phones worth stealing again.

The problem is not isolated to UK's capital, with spates of violent crime being reported across the country.

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May has acknowledged concerns about moped gangs, but insisted police were being given the powers they need to crack down on crime.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 18, 2018 07:14 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).