UK Government to Combat Smartphone Theft with new Measures
Personal robbery has a devastating impact on victims. For those who have their phone stolen on the street, they may be left without the ability to contact a loved one for help or get home.
In the USA, one in ten US smartphone owners have been a victim of phone theft. In San Francisco, the home of mobile operators including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, 50% of robberies involve a smartphone. Meanwhile in New York, this figure sits at 75%.
In London alone, one device is stolen every six minutes. Police intelligence suggests that this is due to demand for second hand smartphones.
Now, the UK government has sworn to crack down on ‘snatch thefts’ after cases rose by over 150% in the last year.
UK government calls on mobile operators to fight smartphone theft
By 2025, the UK mobile phone market is expected to be worth £3.1bn (US$3.9bn), a number which is expected to only increase as smartphones become a bigger part of our lives. From managing our finances, to tracking our health to security and entertainment, smartphones are as indispensable as house keys. Yet results show smartphone thefts are increasing.
Crime Survey data estimates for the last 12 months show that smartphone snatches on the streets of England and Wales are at the highest rate in more than a decade, 60% more than the annual average since 2012.
To fight phone theft in the UK, mobile operators and manufacturers have been invited to a Home Office summit which will explore the potential methods for fighting the illegal market of stolen phones. This will include looking at the anti-theft smartphone features that some tech firms have already rolled out to protect their customers.
- Apple’s Find My iPhone allows users to locate, lock and erase their device remotely.
- Samsung has a similar feature, as well as a reactivation lock which prevents unauthorised factory resets.
Demand for second hand smartphones is a climate-friendly option, but it is also behind the rise in smartphone theft
Many consumers are choosing to make sustainable choices, from their diet to their method of transport. Research shows that choosing a refurbished phone over a new one can slash approximately 50 kg CO2e over two years, compared to purchasing a new one. But sadly, this means the demand for second hand phones has risen.
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson called upon mobile operators to ensure that any stolen phones can be quickly, easily and permanently disabled, rather than re-registered for sale on the second-hand market.
“If we work together - the government, tech companies and law enforcement can break the business model of the phone thieves and moped gangs who rely on this trade,” she said. “The government is determined to do whatever’s necessary to protect people entitled to walk the streets without the threat of robbery.”
The government will also task police chiefs to gather data on the criminals who sell stolen mobile phones. Some victims of phone theft have been able to track their stolen device to a district in Shenzhen, described as the country's 'Silicon Valley'.
There is no word yet on whether this operation will stretch to include the police in China to combat the global stolen phone market.
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