Policing urges manufacturers: make stolen mobiles worthless to criminals

• First national month of action on phone crime joined by police forces across England and Wales
• Focus on second-hand mobile phone shops to disrupt the market for stolen phones, protect the public from unsafe goods and support legitimate businesses
• Policing is calling on phone manufacturers to help prevent people from becoming victims by making stolen phones much harder to reset and resell

Police forces across England and Wales have carried out the first national month of action to tackle the theft and resale of stolen mobile phones.

Coordinated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Operation Reckoning brought together 17 police forces, partners and industry to tackle mobile phone crime at every stage.

The operation focused on disrupting the theft, sale and export of stolen devices, and making stolen phones harder to use or sell.

During September, forces carried out more than 700 visits to second-hand mobile phone shops to support responsible retailers, identify criminal activity and recover stolen devices. Trading Standards teams often joined officers to look out for fake and potentially dangerous goods.

Operation Reckoning began in the Metropolitan Police, where it was identified that mobile phone crime is increasingly driven by organised criminal networks.

Phones are stolen through crimes including robbery, burglary, pickpocketing and theft from delivery networks. They are then sold in the UK or exported overseas, where high resale values can generate significant profit.

Although organised criminal activity is often concentrated in larger cities, the impact on victims can be significant regardless of how or why a phone is stolen. Many people report feeling angry, shocked and violated, and may blame themselves or alter their behaviour as a result.

Commander Andy Featherstone, who leads Operation Reckoning in the Met and is the NPCC lead for personal robbery and mobile phone crime, said: “Phones are more than just devices to make calls or go online – they hold precious photos, store our financial details, give access to large amounts of our personal data.

“Policing recognises the impact phone theft has on victims and is committed to taking coordinated action to tackle it, from opportunistic thefts up to organised export networks.

“By expanding Operation Reckoning across the UK and engaging with second-hand phone retailers, we’re helping to protect legitimate businesses from exploitation by criminals as well as identifying offenders, recovering devices and where we can, returning phones to victims.

“We are also working with mobile phone manufacturers, sharing intelligence to catch criminals and calling for them to make changes such as using visible IMEIs. The harder a stolen phone is to use or sell, the less attractive it is to criminals.”

Activity during the month included officers visiting second-hand phone retailers to promote ID checks, IMEI verification and good purchasing practices. Staff were also encouraged to report suspected stolen devices and any suspicious activity.

Commander Featherstone said: “The vast majority of second-hand mobile phone retailers operate responsibly and play an important role in preventing stolen devices entering the market. Policing is grateful for their continued cooperation and commitment to protecting customers.

“Retailers and members of the public are often the first to spot suspicious activity. Reporting concerns helps us identify stolen devices and disrupt the criminals responsible for phone theft.”

Forces also worked with Trading Standards to uncover and seize counterfeit and unsafe goods being sold by a small number of retailers. These included fake electrical items, illegal vapes and illicit tobacco products.

Commander Featherstone added: “Shops engaging in criminal activity and the sale of fake products have a negative impact on communities and people’s safety. Police and Trading Standards will continue to act where individuals seek to profit from stolen mobile phones or place consumers at risk.”

Operation Reckoning force activity included:

• North Wales Police visited freshers’ events, sharing advice with more than 400 students, using SmartWater to security mark mobile phones, and handing out UV pens to enable property marking for other valuable possessions.
• City of London Police carried out plain-clothes visits to test whether phone shops would buy ‘stolen’ phones or sell cheap handsets that may have been stolen. None of the businesses agreed to buy the phones, and all had robust purchasing policies in place, including IMEI checks to identify devices reported as stolen. Uniformed follow-up visits were then carried out to give further advice and listen to any concerns or information staff had about stolen phones.
• The Metropolitan Police made 705 arrests for offences including robbery and theft, executed 51 warrants, and recovered 281 suspected stolen mobile phones. Cash, drugs, illegal e-bikes and counterfeit goods and tobacco were also seized.
• Store visits in Suffolk saw 400 illegal vapes seized, while in Northumbria 1,500 illicit cigarettes with an approximate value of £6,500 were seized.

Following the success of this first national month of action, policing and partners will use the lessons learned to inform future activity, better protect the public, and continue strengthening the collective response to phone theft across the UK.

Steps to protect your phone

• The IMEI is a unique 15-digit number that identifies your phone. If your device is stolen, the IMEI can help block it. Find your IMEI by dialling *#06#, checking your settings, or looking on the original packaging. Keep a record somewhere safe and consider registering it with Immobilise
• Find advice to protect against mobile phone theft, and the steps to take to secure your phone and data in case it does get stolen, at www.police.uk

Report non-emergency crime and suspicious activity by calling 101 or visiting your local force’s website. In an emergency, always call 999.