{"id":5363,"date":"2026-06-11T16:39:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/police-force-gives-tech-giants-brutal-ultimatum-as-they-tackle-phone-theft-epidemic\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T16:39:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:39:21","slug":"police-force-gives-tech-giants-brutal-ultimatum-as-they-tackle-phone-theft-epidemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/police-force-gives-tech-giants-brutal-ultimatum-as-they-tackle-phone-theft-epidemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Police force gives tech giants brutal ultimatum as they tackle phone theft epidemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_1a5e55\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Although phone theft in the West End has fallen by 50 per cent in the past year, the Metropolitan Police are calling on tech firms to work with the force in a bid to disrupt the global criminal networks<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\"><\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37281725\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"edestrians walk past newly-installed signage warning people of the high risk of phone snatch thefts on August 06, 2025 in London, England. Electronic goods retailer Currys has launched the 'Mind the Grab' campaign to alert pedestrians to the threat of mobile phone theft, as data reveals that a phone was stolen every 15 minutes in the London borough of Westminster in 2024. The campaign comes amid recently ramped up political rhetoric around crime statistics and the spread of misinformation. (Photo by Leon Neal\/Getty Images)\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281725.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_Currys-Launches-Mind-the-Grab-Campaign-On-Oxford-Street-To-Raise-Awareness-Over-Mobile-Phone-Theft.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281725.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/1_Currys-Launches-Mind-the-Grab-Campaign-On-Oxford-Street-To-Raise-Awareness-Over-Mobile-Phone-Theft.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281725.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/1_Currys-Launches-Mind-the-Grab-Campaign-On-Oxford-Street-To-Raise-Awareness-Over-Mobile-Phone-Theft.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281725.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_Currys-Launches-Mind-the-Grab-Campaign-On-Oxford-Street-To-Raise-Awareness-Over-Mobile-Phone-Theft.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"The Met Police called on the Government to introduce legislation requiring phone companies to publish data on stolen devices and reconnections\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The Met Police called on the Government to introduce legislation requiring phone companies to publish data on stolen devices and reconnections<cite aria-label=\"Image: Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Tech firms have been given an ultimatum by the <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/metropolitan-police\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Metropolitan Police <\/a>&#8211; make stolen phones harder to reuse or face government intervention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The warning came as the force announced a new partnership with <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/iphone\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Apple <\/a>aimed at disrupting the global criminal networks behind phone theft and making stolen devices significantly less valuable to criminals. The agreement will see the Met and Apple share intelligence on stolen devices to track what happens to handsets after they are taken, helping officers build a clearer picture of where stolen phones end up and whether they are being reactivated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It followed more than two years of campaigning by the Met, which said phone theft had become a lucrative international criminal enterprise.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37281728\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37281728\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.31\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"There have been hundreds of arrest and thousands of stolen phones recovered\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281728.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Met-police-staffing.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281728.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/1_Met-police-staffing.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281728.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_Met-police-staffing.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281728.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Met-police-staffing.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"There have been hundreds of arrest and thousands of stolen phones recovered\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">There have been hundreds of arrest and thousands of stolen phones recovered<cite aria-label=\"Image: PA\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: PA)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: \u201cI gave an ultimatum to tech firms \u2013 take urgent steps to prevent stolen phones from being resold and reused, or we will call on Government to step in and legislate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cFor the first time, we are routinely sharing intelligence on stolen devices, building a joint picture of how these phones move and whether they reappear in circulation. That partnership is already making a difference. If stolen phones cannot be reactivated, their value collapses, and so does the incentive to steal them. We are driving up the risk for offenders while cutting off the reward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">In April, three mobile phone handlers admitted handling stolen goods following a Met investigation into what officers described as the UK\u2019s largest mobile phone smuggling network. Police said the group trafficked up to 40,000 stolen devices from the UK to <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/China\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">China<\/a> between 2024 and 2025. The Met also seized more than 1,000 suspected stolen phones during a raid on a shop in North-West London.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37281718\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37281718\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said the mobile phone crime cannot be solved by policing alone\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281718.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Close-up-hands-of-unrecognizable-man-holding-and-using-smartphone-standing-on-city-street-browsing.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281718.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Close-up-hands-of-unrecognizable-man-holding-and-using-smartphone-standing-on-city-street-browsing.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281718.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Close-up-hands-of-unrecognizable-man-holding-and-using-smartphone-standing-on-city-street-browsing.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37281718.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Close-up-hands-of-unrecognizable-man-holding-and-using-smartphone-standing-on-city-street-browsing.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said the mobile phone crime cannot be solved by policing alone\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said the mobile phone crime cannot be solved by policing alone<cite aria-label=\"Image: Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The announcement also came as phone theft in Westminster fell by 50 per cent following a targeted crackdown by the force, which saw hundreds of arrests and thousands of stolen phones recovered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cThis is an important step, but it must not stop here. If you are stealing phones in London, the reality is changing fast. The opportunities are shrinking, the risks are rising, and we are determined to dismantle this criminal model completely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Alongside the partnership, the Met called on the Government to introduce legislation requiring phone companies to publish data on stolen devices and reconnections.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The force also asked the Home Office to begin preparing legislation that would introduce minimum technical standards to ensure phones stolen in the UK are effectively unusable if industry efforts fail to go far enough.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Mayor of London <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/sadiq-khan\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Sadiq Khan<\/a> said: \u201cThe Commissioner and I have been crystal clear that mobile phone crime cannot be solved by policing alone. Decisive and coordinated action from the mobile phone industry is long overdue to prevent stolen phones being used, sold and repurposed both here and across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/uk-news\/phone-theft-apple-met-police-37281594\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although phone theft in the West End has fallen by 50 per cent in the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1_Currys-Launches-Mind-the-Grab-Campaign-On-Oxford-Street-To-Raise-Awareness-Over-Mobile-Phone-Theft.avif","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}