Phone companies to be asked to help tackle rise in snatch thefts

Phone companies are to be called into the Home Office to discuss measures to tackle crime after snatch thefts more than doubled in England and Wales over the last year.

Government figures show that, in the year to March, an estimated 78,000 people had their phone or bag grabbed on the street, up from 31,000 the year before.

Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said the government wanted manufacturers to ensure that any phone stolen could be permanently disabled to prevent it being sold second-hand.

Police chiefs will also be tasked with gathering more intelligence on who is stealing phones and where stolen devices end up.

A growing demand for second-hand phones, both in the UK and abroad, is believed to be a major driver behind the recent rise in thefts, the government said.

The Home Office is to host a summit at which tech companies and phone manufacturers will be asked to consider innovations that could help stop phones being traded illegally.

The government said it hoped to build on anti-theft features already introduced to smartphones.

Dame Diana said the government hoped to “break the business model” of the people organising the thefts.

“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,” she said.

“Phone companies must ensure that any stolen phones can be quickly, easily and permanently disabled, rather than re-registered for sale on the second-hand market, and we will be meeting them soon to discuss what further action is required to make that happen.”

Of the 78,000 thefts recorded in the year to March, only 0.8% resulted in a person being charged.

Almost 82% of investigations were closed without the police finding a suspect.

The efforts to tackle thefts will also include continued patrol surges in areas around the country most at risk of serious violence, including knifepoint robberies.

Commander Richard Smith of the National Police Chiefs’ Council said forces continued to” target those habitual criminals responsible for prolific offending”.

“However, we know that we cannot arrest our way out of this problem,” he said. “Manufacturers and the tech industry have an important role in reducing opportunities for criminals to benefit from the re-sale of stolen handsets.”