New York, NY – NYPD: Cell Phone Robberies on Subways on the Rise

New York, NY – Stand clear of the closing doors–especially if you have a fancy new cell phone on the subway.

The NYPD reports that thefts of expensive cell phones have increased sharply over the past three months. NYPD Transit Bureau Assistant Chief James Hall says passengers who are holding their electronic gadgets out in the open, while standing next to a door, make an easy target.

Hall said, The bad guy waits until the train pulls into the station and that’s the person that they mark. When that door open up, the snatch or grab is made of the phone right onto the platform, he said.
“In the last four months, I’ve actually put police officers on trains with some bullhorns doing safety lectures, which we’re going to continue to do,” Hall said at an MTA committee meeting.
Hall specifically cited the T-Mobile Sidekick model as a sought-after device. The model has a camera, music player and e-mail capabilities – and retails for about $300.

NYPD statistics show that robberies went up by more than 50 percent in December, compared to the previous year. Hall said.

There were 111 robberies – theft using force – in December, a 59% increase over December 2007, when there were 70 robberies, according to new NYPD data. Between January and December last year, robberies increased 3.4% to 823 when compared with all of 2007.
However, that on New Year’s Eve, officers arrested two men who were responsible for a string of 13 robberies, most of which took place on the G line late at night.