Government Crack Down on Phone Thieves After 150 Percent Spike in Cases

Members of the public looking at their mobile phones on Regent Street in London, during a test of a new public alert system on Apr. 23, 2023. PA

Government ministers have announced plans to crack down on criminals who steal mobile phones after a surge in thefts of more than 150 percent in the last year.

Policing data has revealed that an estimated 78,000 people had phones or bags grabbed from them on the streets. The rise in phone thefts is driven by an increase demand for second hand devices, both in the UK and abroad, the police found.

In the past 12 months, officials have recorded the highest rate of phone theft in more than a decade, with an equivalent of more than 200 snatch thefts happening every day.

Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson called the figures “troubling” and said that the government was ready to “do whatever’s necessary” to protect people’s safety.

“With new phones coming to market and young people going back to school and university, many of us will have a new phone in our hands at this time of year,” Johnson said, adding that Labour wants to eliminate the threat of robbery on the streets of Britain.

Policing Measures

Part of Labour’s election manifesto was the pledge to tackle anti-social behaviour and “take back our streets.” This includes tough new penalties for offenders and more neighbourhood police.

“As part of our Safer Streets mission, this new government is determined to crack down on snatch theft, knife-enabled robbery, and other crimes that make people feel unsafe in our communities, and we are working to get thousands more uniformed officers into our communities to restore neighbourhood policing,” Johnson said.

The government will also task police chiefs to tackle this scourge in neighbourhood theft.

To get a better picture of the stolen mobile phone market, the government will task the national police intelligence unit Operation Opal to gather information on who steals steal smartphones and where the stolen devices end up.

Ministers also plan to increase “visible police presence” in crime hotspots or areas most at risk of serious violence and robberies at knifepoint.

According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for personal robbery, Commander Richard Smith, officers continue targeting habitual criminals responsible for prolific offending.

“Personal robbery can have a devastating impact on victims, leaving them with trauma which can be lasting. Criminals often target some of the most vulnerable in society, such as children, with threats that violence may be used, making robbery particularly traumatic,” said Smith.

Last month, a notorious phone snatcher, Sonny Stringer, 28, has been jailed for two years.  Stringer stole 24 mobile phones on March 26, while riding through London on electric motorbikes and snatching devices from people’s hands.

Safety Features

To tackle the rise in phone thefts, officials have been meeting with tech industry representatives, holding discussions on the issue.

One of these meetings in October 2023 saw London Mayor Sadiq Khan, police officials and representatives of Apple, Samsung, and Google talk about safety features to prevent exploitation of stolen devices.

On Tuesday, the government announced it plans to hold a summit, attended by tech companies and manufacturers, to review new innovations that could take on the illegal market.

“This will build on anti-theft smartphone features that some tech firms have already rolled out to protect their customers,” the Home Office said.

Among safety features, introduced by Google for its Android operating system, is the Theft Detection Lock that can detect “common motion associated with theft” by reading signals from the phone which would result in it being locked.

Google’s Remote Lock feature, to be rolled out later this year, will allow users to lock their screen remotely.

For iPhone users, a feature called Stolen Device Protection is available. It adds a layer of security when the device is “away from familiar locations, such as home or workplace,” helping protect personal information in case of theft.