Government pledges crackdown on phone theft after 150 per cent spike in incidents

The Government has pledged to crack down on phone thefts after the number of incidents soared by more than 150 per cent last year.

An estimated 78,000 people had phones or bags snatched from them on British streets in year to March 2024, according to data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

This represented a 153 per cent rise when compared to the 31,000 incidents of “snatch thefts” in the same period to March 2023.

According to Home Office analysis of the data, there were more than 200 incidents every day across England and Wales in the last 12 months.

Just 0.8 per cent of “theft from the person” resulted in a charge, and 81.9 per cent of police investigations were closed before a suspect was found.

Police intelligence shows this is likely being driven by increased demand for second-hand smartphones, both in the UK and abroad.

In a bid to tackle this soaring criminal activity, the Home Office said it would call tech companies and manufacturers to a summit which would look at “the new innovations that could take on the illegal market”.

It is understood this would build on anti-theft smartphone features some firms have already rolled out.

The Government is also expected to ask police chiefs to help tackle the issue, with Operation Opal – the national police intelligence unit – launching an intelligence probe to gather urgent information on the criminals who steal mobile phones, and where these devices end up.

This will provide a stronger picture of the stolen mobile phone market, and identify what more needs to be done to tackle the problem, the Home Office said.

Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “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.

“These figures are troubling and the Government is determined to do whatever’s necessary to protect people entitled to walk the streets without the threat of robbery.

“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.

“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.

“If we work together, Government, tech companies and law enforcement can break the business model of the phone thieves and moped gangs who rely on this trade.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for personal robbery, Commander Richard Smith, added: “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.

“We continue to target those habitual criminals responsible for prolific offending, whilst working to prevent young people from being into this type of offending.

“During Operation Calibre, our national police week of action against personal robbery, police forces targeted their activity in over 1,250 known hotspot areas, increasing our visibility and operational activity and arresting those intent on committing crime. 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 resale of stolen handsets.”

“If in the unfortunate circumstances you are a victim of robbery, report it to the police or contact Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org).”