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In central London, volunteers at the Phoenix Garden near Shaftesbury Avenue in Covent Garden have been playing a key role in returning stolen phones to their owners after discovering them hidden among flower beds. This peculiar method of phone theft and concealment stems from the garden’s close location to busy West End shopping areas. Initially reported by London Centric, the phenomenon involves thieves discarding snatched devices within the garden’s grounds, where they remain until located by the garden’s volunteers.
The volunteers have found numerous phones in bushes and flower beds, recovering them and either handing them directly back to the victims or turning them in to police. According to Louise Gates, the manager of the Phoenix Garden, it is a frequent occurrence to find phones “thrown over the fence from the night before” when she arrives each morning. Some phones were even wrapped in tin foil, a tactic used by thieves to prevent the devices from being tracked via GPS or network signals.
It is believed that the offenders, who are often seen riding electric bikes around areas like Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, use the garden as a temporary stash spot for the stolen phones, planning to retrieve them later. Gates shared that some victims track their devices through Apple’s Find My app and make their way to the garden to recover them. When the volunteers are able to find emergency contact details on the phones, they reach out to the owners, with Gates describing the gratitude she encounters as “really so grateful, which is nice.” However, when owners can’t be identified or reached, the phones are taken to the police station.
Volunteer Ron Chenery, who has been involved with the garden for two years, noted that finding phones is a common experience for those helping out. “Most of us love the garden so much, we’re constantly out in the fresh air. If we see something we hand it in,” he explained. Community worker Elliot Hughes, who encourages local students to engage with the garden and nature, emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the dangers of phone theft. He highlighted the high value of modern smartphones and the risks young people face when using their expensive devices in public spaces. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police have increased patrols in the area, reporting a 16% reduction in phone thefts since April, and continue to dismantle organized crime groups involved in large-scale theft. The force also urged manufacturers like Apple and Samsung to enhance phone security to make stolen devices harder to resell
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