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The Metropolitan Police is urging technology companies to take stronger measures to make stolen mobile phones less usable, aiming to cut down on criminals’ ability to profit from theft. This call comes as the police seek legislative support to require phone manufacturers to provide data on stolen devices and implement features that render these handsets effectively useless once reported stolen.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has formally requested the home secretary to introduce laws compelling phone firms to share information on stolen phones and enforce security protocols to prevent their reactivation. The police force has already begun collaborating with Apple to compile a “global picture” of the fate of stolen devices, monitoring whether stolen phones are being connected back to networks anywhere in the world.
Sir Mark emphasized the importance of such measures by stating, “If stolen phones cannot be reactivated, their value collapses, and so does the incentive to steal them.” He also noted that, thanks to recent cooperation with Apple, fewer stolen phones are being brought back into use compared to several months ago, which is making it increasingly difficult for criminals to benefit from these thefts. This move follows a prior warning issued by the Met Police in March, pressing companies to adopt stronger protections to diminish the appeal of stolen phones for resale or reuse.
London continues to experience some of the highest rates of personal robbery and theft in England and Wales, with a large proportion involving mobile phones. The global market for stolen phones is lucrative, with devices stolen in London fetching higher prices abroad, for example in China, where such phones bypass local government restrictions. Despite this, the Met reports a significant decline in thefts involving phones—down by 14,000 incidents between June 2025 and May 2026, representing an 18% drop compared to the previous year. Westminster has seen an even sharper fall, with thefts from individuals involving phones decreasing by nearly 46% so far this year.
Apple’s senior vice president of government affairs, Kate Adams, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to user security, saying, “Keeping our users, their devices, and their data safe is at the heart of what we do. That includes building industry-leading security features that significantly reduce the motivation for criminals to target people in the first place.” Additionally, the Metropolitan Police stated that other major manufacturers, including Samsung and Google, are introducing similar security improvements to address the problem
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