Former Scotland Yard Detective Peter Bleksley has accused the Metropolitan Police of "surrendering London's streets to the criminals" amid surging levels of phone theft.
Speaking to GB News, Bleksley declared that the crime has become an "absolute epidemic" in the capital.
Retail giant Currys has told Oxford Street shoppers not to use their phones on the pavements when out and about in London, all in a bid to curb phone theft.
GB News
|Peter Bleksley has hit out at police for 'surrendering London to criminals' amid surging phone theft figures
The company's new Mind the Grab campaign launch follows research commissioned by the retailer, which found 88 per cent of Britons view phone snatching as a significant problem in large cities such as the capital.
Speaking to GB News, Bleksley said: "The fact of the matter is, there are nearly 100 phone thefts a day in London in the Metropolitan Police area. It's an absolute epidemic of crime.
"I really applaud this initiative by Currys and others who've taken part in it, because anything we can do to make people aware of the level of crime and how to avoid becoming a victim gets my full support."
Criticising the police and their prioritising of other issues over phone theft, Bleksley stated: "As a state of the nation statement, it's a very gloomy thing. Very gloomy indeed.
PA
|The tech retailer has launched a new 'Mind the Grab' campaign, which aims to combat phone theft and introduce new in-store support for victims
"But this is what happens when you have overeducated, pseudo-intellect police officers running the show, and they in recent decades, have quite simply withdrawn police officers from patrolling, thereby surrendering the streets to the criminals, and that's where we're at."
Revealing her own precautions she is taking while out and about in London, Good Afternoon Britain host Emily Carver told Bleksley: "In my experience, I no longer will enter a tube carriage if it's empty for fear that someone could come in and I'm left alone with a scary man.
"I will avoid walking in certain areas pretty much altogether. I'll hold my phone close to my chest or not have it out at all when out and about, and those are changes that people are making that even a few years ago, perhaps they weren't."
Responding to Emily, Bleksley admitted: "And it grieves me so much to say 'well done Emily'. They are exactly the kind of steps that you need to take to prevent becoming a victim of crime.
GB News
|Bleksley told GB News that it is a 'sad indictment on the nation'
"Once again, it's a very sad indictment upon this nation and where we're at."
The former Scotland Yard detective concluded: "There are so many unscrupulous people out there, from thieves to people who will harass women and do much, much worse to women, that we all need to bear some sort of responsibility on keeping ourselves safe.
"And until or unless we get a police service which can almost be reimagined by the wheel so that they patrol the streets, prevent crime, investigate it properly, and lock up bad people, this is where we're going to have to remain."