HOME Secretary Sajid Javid has revealed he was a moped mugging victim — as he launches a blitz on street crime.

He admits it left him fearing for his kids’ safety when they go out.

8 Home Secretary Sajid Javid reveals to Sun on Sunday how he was a victim of a moped mugging Credit: Louis Wood - The Sun

8 The newly appointed Home Secretary, 48, is planning a blitz on moped muggings nationwide as the issue increases Credit: PA:Press Association

The Tory, 48, was shaken when raiders roared on to a pavement to snatch his phone from his hand in North London.

He said: “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.”

In his first interview since taking charge of the nation’s ­security and policing policy,the dad of four told of his personal experience of street crime.

8 Sajid spoke to Sun on Sunday's political editor David Wooding from his office in Westminster Credit: Louis Wood - The Sun

And he admitted being anxious over his teenage children being out on the streets. He said: “I worry about them, especially if it’s late.

“My eldest child, my daughter, is home from university and a couple of weeks ago went out to celebrate her 19th birthday. She told me she was going to stay out late with friends in London.

“It was a day when I’d heard about a lot more knife crime. I worried that night that she was out there.

“We want our children to be safe. It will drive me even more to ensure no parent worries about kids out at night.

8 Sajid feared for his daughter's safety as she celebrated her 19th birthday with a night out with friends in London

“Our streets should be safe at all times, you shouldn’t have to worry about things like knife or other crime.”

In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview, Mr Javid, son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver, told how he:

Was raised on a poverty-hit estate where he joined a schoolboy “crimebusters gang” that alerted cops to illegal activity

Admires the bravery of police after visiting his injured brother — now a chief superintendent — in hospital several times

Was woken in the middle of the night within hours of being promoted to authorise a major police operation

PLEDGE TO ACT ON OUR PLEAS By David Wooding MILLIONS of pounds will be pumped into community and team sport to tackle the root causes of violent crime, Sajid Javid has said. The Home Secretary hailed The Sun on Sunday’s “excellent” Beat the Blades campaign — and vowed to act on some of our demands. Schools and youth centres will get a “large chunk” of £40million set aside for early intervention, he revealed. Mr Javid added: “We need the public behind us to try to help with new ideas and initiatives and that’s why your campaign is an excellent idea. “As Culture Secretary, I realised how you can use sport to do so many other good things for society. “We can use it to keep young people away from the streets and encourage them to find friendship and turn their activities and skills to do good things.” Last week we unveiled a task force including youth workers, community leaders and MPs to tackle the issue. It called for a ban on online knife sales, more community sports, specially trained school bobbies, a crackdown on middle-class drug use and help for child drug-deal “slaves”. Mr Javid added: “I’ve looked at the five key ideas you’ve got out there, and I’m impressed with the hard work and serious thinking that has clearly gone into this. I’m really pleased that you’ve done this.”

His moped gang ordeal came just months before he was named Britain’s first ethnic minority Home Secretary.

It made him a small part of the chilling street crime statistics that are his most pressing task.

He said: “I’ve huge responsibilities in this job. The biggest is to keep everyone safe.

“Like many others, I’ve seen the effects of crime close up and I worry about my kids.

“I think this and my family background help me to understand and relate.”

Most of the street crime plague is fuelled by rising knife attacks and moped muggings.

At least 46 people have been stabbed to death in London this year. Even in leafy shires the blade epidemic is up 270 per cent.

Scooter gangs committed 23,000 recorded crimes last year — an average of 64 a day and up 163 per cent on the year before.

8 There have been at least 46 people stabbed to death in London this year Credit: Getty - Contributor

Mr Javid admitted: “It is completely unacceptable. The police have stepped up action to tackle it but we need to do more.”

He is working on a review to give cops more power to pursue moped thugs without fear. Senior officers say they are hampered by health and safety rules that stop them giving chase if crooks remove crash helmets.

Mr Javid said: “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.”

He stressed that overall crime was down since 2010 and that some rises were due to more people reporting offences.

But he admitted: “When it comes to knife crime and serious violence generally, there’s a genuine rise. No one can ignore that.

8 Two knives recovered by police in south east London

The Sun On Sunday leads the Beat The Blades campaign to tackle London's knife crime epidemic

“It will require concerted action. It deeply concerns and worries me. In terms of crime, my priority is to deal with this rise in serious violence, which of course includes knife crime.” He has been tipped as a future PM after his rise from poverty to one of the great offices of State.

He grew up on Bristol’s Stapleton Road, once dubbed “Britain’s most dangerous street”. But he recalled: “I loved my home. I had lots of good things and I’d hang out on the street. It didn’t feel dangerous.

“When I was about nine, I joined a gang with one of my brothers. We called ourselves The Crimebusters.

“We had two bikes and would go up and down the street with cheap walkie-talkies.

“He hung about by a phone box. If I saw crime I’d radio him and he’d dial 999.

8 Sajid grew up on Bristol's Stapleton Road, once dubbed 'Britain's most dangerous street' Credit: Louis Wood - The Sun

“Now he’s a West Midlands chief superintendent and I’m Home Secretary.” Once, Mr Javid’s bike was stolen and his brother, Bas, went to get it.

He said: “My parents were a bit concerned. But he turns up five minutes later with my bike.

“He said he caught two lads. Then he said, ‘Can we shut the door? I think they’re chasing me’.

“No wonder he became an excellent officer. Probably because he started early.” Mr Javid also hopes frosty relations between ministers and police that developed when Theresa May had his role will thaw.

He wants better funding and will give ­forces £440million more this year.

He said: “I’m in a police family and see how hard the job is. My brother was beaten up on the job many times. He spent one Christmas in hospital with a dislocated jaw.

8 Sajid's brother Bas is a West Midlands Police superintendent

“Police put themselves in danger to protect us. It’s something I’ll never forget.

“It’s why I hope officers understand they have a Home Secretary who’ll listen to them as I value what they do to keep us safe.”

Mr Javid’s new responsibilities dawned on him on his first day when he was woken by a call to approve a police operation.

He had told wife Laura that if the phone went it would be important.

Mr Javid said: “At about 3am, it rings and it’s on her side of the bed. She grabs it, asking, ‘What do I do?’. ‘Just answer it’, I said.

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“It was important but I can’t say what it was. It reminds you how you’ve got to be ready at all times.” His immediate focus is on cutting serious street violence. He said: “I won’t pretend there’s a quick fix.

“It is going to require action on many ­different fronts. That works starts now.”