Javid: I was lucky to escape stabbing by moped gang

SAJID JAVID said he felt “lucky not to have been stabbed” when moped thieves snatched his mobile phone.

The Home Secretary revealed he was the victim of the crime and said he was targeted outside Euston station in north London. Mr Javid, the man in charge of the nation’s policing and security, said the theft had “happened in a flash”.

“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,” he said.

Mr Javid disclosed the incident as concerns continued to rise about increasing levels of violent crime in the nation’s cities. Mr Javid, who was appointed Home Secretary at the end of

‘Before I knew what was happening, it had gone. They just rode up, grabbed it and zoomed off’

April, said the incident had happened when he was in his former job as communities secretary. He told The Sun: “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.”

Mr Javid’s admission came after Michael Mcintyre was robbed of his watch by moped-riding thieves. The comedian was on the school run in his Range Rover in north London when the offenders smashed the windows of his car before stealing the Rolex.

Mr Javid, who has four children, said he worried about them if they are out late, and his parental concern drives him to tackle the problem of violent crime. “Our streets should be safe at all times, you shouldn’t have to worry about things like knives or other crime,” he said.

Theresa May has acknowledged concerns about moped gangs, but insisted police were being given the powers they need to crack down on crime.

The Prime Minister was challenged earlier this month about the Government’s response to criminals using mopeds. She said Amber Rudd, the former home secretary, had held talks with police to make sure they had the powers they needed to be able to chase mopedriding criminals.