The Metropolitan Police have revealed gangs are recruiting children to steal smartphones before school. These gangs use Snapchat to offer up to £380 for the latest Apple iPhones. London faces the biggest phone theft problem in Britain. The Met says thefts dropped 12% last year to 71,000 but wants tech firms, especially Apple, to make stolen phones harder to reactivate. Children as young as 14 ride bikes to steal phones. Gangs pay the most for new Apple phones, which can be reactivated overseas easily. Samsung phones fetch less because they are harder to reuse abroad. After stealing, children message their "handler" on Snapchat to arrange phone drop-offs. Bonuses of £100 are given if 10 or more phones are turned in at once. Police found a teen riding a bike early to target commuters at a busy London station before going to school. One Snapchat ad offered £380 for an iPhone 16 Max, £220 for an iPhone 15, and just £20 for an iPhone 12. Commissioner Mark Rowley urged courts to stop bailing repeat offenders who quickly return to crime. He said, "Policing alone cannot solve this problem. Manufacturers and tech companies must do more to stop criminals being able to reset, reuse or resell stolen phones." Drones help track suspects fleeing the scene, focusing especially on London’s West End, a hotspot for phone thefts targeting tourists. Specially trained officers ride Surron ebikes to catch young thieves on bicycles. Facial recognition technology also aids in catching offenders. London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced an extra £4.5m for a new police command center to fight phone gangs. Khan said, "Far too many Londoners have been the victim of phone theft and I’m determined to stamp it out."