Cell phone corporations should have a job in “serving to to crush” robberies of units amid a rise over the previous yr, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has mentioned.
There was a 28% rise in cell phone theft in London and a 22% improve in theft of units during the last 12 months, figures from the power present.
This represents a complete of 57,174 cellphones reported stolen and equates to a median of 157 units stolen on daily basis within the capital.
Met chief Sir Mark Rowleyduring a gathering with main UK cell phone community suppliers and London Mayor Sadiq Khan at Metropolis Corridor on Tuesday, mentioned: “All of us have a job in serving to to crush the prison market that fuels theft and design out the flexibility for stolen telephones for use in the way in which they at the moment are.”
The assembly was about how the police, Metropolis Corridor and the cell phone trade can work collectively to cut back machine robberies.
Mr Khan mentioned: “We’re positive there are issues that telephone corporations might be doing and we’re going to work with them in a collegial approach about what sharing there might be between police, Metropolis Corridor and these corporations from intelligence, from engineering innovation and different issues as nicely.”
Apple, Samsung and Google have been among the many massive names represented on the assembly, which Mr Khan mentioned was a step in the direction of making London “safer for everybody”.
The mayor went on: “This assembly is a crucial milestone to creating a sensible and long-term answer to ending the menace of cell phone crime, which we all know is driving violence and criminality in our communities – not simply in London however throughout the UK.
“Proper now, it’s far too simple and worthwhile for criminals to repurpose and promote on stolen telephones.”
We welcome as we speak’s roundtable to debate with the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police additional actions, together with prioritising cellular theft and prosecutions to discourage and scale back these crimes
Hamish MacLeod, Cellular UK
Sir Mark mentioned the power made “a number of arrests and seized greater than 70 stolen telephones at a store promoting them onwards” over the previous weekend.
He added: “However till we design out the flexibility for telephones for use in the way in which they at the moment are, we shall be caught in a vicious circle.”
Hamish MacLeod, chief government of Cellular UK, mentioned: “Cellular operators and the machine and working system producers have a number of capabilities and measures to discourage the theft of cellphones, together with the availability of capabilities which prospects can allow, permitting them to trace and disable cellular handsets.
“We welcome as we speak’s roundtable to debate with the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police additional actions, together with prioritising cellular theft and prosecutions to discourage and scale back these crimes.”
