Under the headline Phone Snatch City, the front page of tonight's Evening Standard focused on victims' anger after surge in muggers on two wheels in London, and an alarming increase in phone grabs by masked thugs riding bikes and e-scooters. 

We spoke to Prospective MP Tim Barnes, who shared his concerns.

Long coverage of the huge surge in phone theft from #bikes and #scooters in the London Evening Standard tonight.

These pictures captured the moment a phone was stolen by a cyclist next to Regent's Park.

London's Victims Commissioner today called for a "purge" on "muggers using ebike and mopeds". I couldn't agree more.

I have made cracking down on crime like this one of the key commitments in our plan for the Cities of London and Westminster.

Policing Minister Chris Philp has pointed out that while mobile phone theft is down 70% across the country since 2010, London stands out as failing in this regard.

It's no surprise when success in detecting the culprits is so bad, as the Met Police acknowledges.

But the real issue lies with Labour's Mayor, Sadiq Khan. He is ultimately responsible as the police and crime commissioner for London and chair of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime which is charged with keeping Londoners safe and catching law-breakers.

As your local choice, I live in this constituency. These are the same issues I face alongside you and fellow residents, every day.

These problems are being tackled elsewhere. There is something different about London and the failings over police and crime here. That difference is Labour being in charge.

As your MP, I will make it my priority to:

• drive up police numbers on the street
• bring back local police teams who know the areas they work in
• push for bollards and pavement improvements at kerbs to stop bikes being so easily able to get away from the scene

You can read more about my priorities and our plan on my website.

Labour have made a mess of London's police, and they will only make it worse in government. Make sure there's someone to hold them to account and #VoteTimBarnes on 4 July.

You can read the Evening Standard's article in full on their website or below.

A purge on weapon-wielding muggers using e-bikes and mopeds to rob Londoners of their phones was called for on Friday as the capital’s Victims’ Commissioner warned of the trauma that the crime spree is inflicting on the public.

Claire Waxman said muggings were leaving victims suffering from long-term trauma and creating fear in public spaces and could have a “serious impact on a person’s sense of safety”.

The menace was brought into sharp focus earlier this week when a prolific mugger riding a high-speed e-bike was brought to justice. Sonny Stringer, 28, from Islington, snatched mobile phones from 24 people in a day-long crime spree across central London.

He was caught when police made “tactical contact” with the rear wheel of his bike and knocked him off.

The Government’s policing minister, Chris Philp, echoed Ms Waxman’s call as he warned that phone muggings in the capital were “far too high” despite declines in such offending elsewhere in the country.

Mr Philp, who has already met the tech giant Apple to press it to make it easier to trace and disable stolen phones, added that he wanted the Met to “declare war on this crime type”.

Scotland Yard sources said the Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley also wanted phone manufacturers to thwart the muggers, often wearing masks, by installing “kill switches” which would allow mobiles to be disabled as soon as a theft is reported.

Sir Mark met the tech giants in the autumn with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to press for action and is understood to be disappointed with the slow pace of progress. He believes that the phone companies could go further and faster in “designing out” the crime.

The focus on Friday, however, was on the plight of victims following a continuing spate of violent and distressing muggings carried out in the capital by knife-carrying robbers on two wheels.