The UK government has called phone companies to discuss measures to tackle crime after snatch thefts surged by more than double in England and Wales over the previous year, reaching 78,000 incidents in the year to March compared to 31,000 the year before. The Home Office will host a summit with tech companies and phone makers to prompt them to think of innovative ways to fight the trading of stolen mobiles and the growing demand for second-hand phones, both in the UK and abroad. Phone manufacturers will also be asked to make sure any stolen phone can be permanently disabled to prevent it being sold second-hand.
The government hopes to build on traceability and anti-theft features already launched on smartphones. Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said that police chiefs will be asked to collect more intelligence on who is stealing phones and where stolen devices end up. The effort hopes to “break the business model” of the people organizing the crimes. The Home Office is reportedly concerned with the fact that only 0.8% of the thefts result in a person being charged, and that almost 82% of investigations end without the police finding a suspect.
Commander Richard Smith of the National Police Chiefs’ Council stated that patrols would continue to be reinforced in areas around the country most at risk of serious violence, including knifepoint robberies. “However, we know that we cannot arrest our way out of this problem. Manufacturers and the tech industry have an important role in reducing opportunities for criminals to benefit from the re-sale of stolen handsets,” he said
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