Foreign governments are warning their citizens about visiting Britain amid high crime levels.
In early July of this year, the Home Office wrote on X there had been a 44% rise in street crime across the UK, record levels of shop theft and a million incidents of anti-social behaviour.
Two fifths of mobile phone thefts in Europe now happen in the UK, according to the insurance company SquareTrade Europe.
Additionally, one mobile phone is stolen every six minutes across the capital, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Meanwhile, violent crime has gone up by 30 per cent during Sir Sadiq Khan’s nine-year tenure as Mayor of London.
News about London's crime levels are now being issued by the Australian government.
The government website Smart Traveller has raised the UK travel advice from a Level 1 to a Level 2 warning, encouraging Australians to "exercise a high degree of caution" when visiting Britain.
It added "petty crime is common, including pickpocketing".
Research by The Telegraph has also uncovered several other foreign countries that have either put out fresh warnings about the rising levels of crime in the UK in recent years, or updated the “crime” sections of their websites with additional warnings.
The countries include France, Canada, New Zealand, the UAE and Mexico.
In a “travel advice” section on the Mexican embassy website, it warns that “in London, crime has increased, especially in crowded areas, on the streets, and on public transportation.”
It lists 16 bullet points with practical advice on how to avoid petty crime on the street, in the hotel, and when travelling in a vehicle.
The UAE embassy website also warns travellers of a “recent increase in violence and knife crime” in London, “including a number of attacks on citizens of Arab Gulf states”.
It says: “We advise our citizens to take special care, especially at night, and avoid wearing valuable items that attract attention in public places”.
Similar to Australia, the Canadian government has increased its warnings about crime in London.
In 2017, the Canadian website increased the risk level of the UK from the first level – "exercise normal safety precautions" – to the second level – "you should exercise a high degree of caution".