Sajid Javid reveals he had phone snatched by moped crooks
2 min read
Sajid Javid has revealed that he was the victim of a moped mugging just months before becoming Home Secretary.
In his first interview in the job, Mr Javid spoke of how his phone had been snatched out of his hand by crooks in North London.
He told the Sun on Sunday: "It happened in a flash. I was walking out of Euston station and reached for my phone to call a taxi.
"It was brand new. Before I knew what was happening, it had gone. They just rode up, grabbed it and zoomed off.
"I was angry and upset but thought myself lucky not to have been stabbed or beaten up like many other victims who fall prey to these vicious criminals."
The revelation came as the Home Secretary vowed a fresh crackdown on violent crime, which has spiked in recent years.
In 2017, police recorded a 22% increase in knife crime and an 11% attack in gun crime.
Meanwhile London's busy Oxford Street saw 291 moped thefts and robberies last year alone - up from 13 in 2014-15.
Mr Javid vowed to make it easier to challenge moped criminals amid fears that health and safety rules make it harder for officers to give chase if suspects remove their helmets.
A Home Office review of the rules is currently underway, and Mr Javid told the paper: "It’s ridiculous. Police should be allowed to get on with the job.
"If someone commits a crime and police want to pursue them, they should have much more freedom to.
"I’m reviewing the rules. I hope something will happen soon."
Mr Javid last month vowed to push for more police funding in the Government's upcoming spending review - a stance that could put him on a collision course with the Treasury, which has just agreed a major cash injection for the NHS.
"I’m in a police family and see how hard the job is," the Home Secretary said.
"My brother was beaten up on the job many times. He spent one Christmas in hospital with a dislocated jaw.
"Police put themselves in danger to protect us. It’s something I’ll never forget."
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