LONDON, July 25 (UPI) -- More than 7,500 police officers have been deployed in London in an effort to blunt a crime wave in which officials say 300 mobile phones are stolen each day.
Dawn raids of the "Big Wing" operation resulted in arrests of more than 80 people on charges including robbery, burglary and theft, the London Evening Standard reported Thursday.
Officers checked pawnshops for stolen phones and patrols made themselves known in theft hotspots as police "aim to make our streets a hostile place for [criminals] to operate," said Commander Stephen Watson, who led the operation.
Shops, cafes, bars and nightclubs, favored by organized cellphone theft rings, were targeted in the operation, Watson said.
The Metropolitan Police made cellphone theft a priority after similar crackdowns in five of London's worst affected boroughs led to drops in overall crime.
Officers also advised business owners on crime prevention and gave them information about local criminals, the commander said.
