For years, mobile-phone theft has been one of the most visible and frustrating crimes. It happens in seconds, often in broad daylight, leaving victims shocked and violated.
But what many people do not see is the organised criminal business model that sits behind it.
It works like this: Thieves target distracted members of the public, either by dipping into their pockets or snatching phones on high-powered e-bikes or scooters. The devices are then quickly passed to handlers linked to organised crime groups, who arrange for them to be moved out of the country. Because of security vulnerabilities the phones can be reset and resold, or stripped for parts.
This is not opportunistic crime. It is highly organised and highly profitable. Some of the crime groups operating in London are making millions from it.
Breaking that system requires action on two fronts. First, law enforcement must relentlessly pursue criminals, targeting not just street thieves but the networks behind them. Second, the phone industry must do its part by ensuring that stolen devices can never be brought back into use. When they become worthless, the incentive to steal them disappears.
For two and a half years, the Met has been pushing Big Tech to act. Now, Apple has made a global change to its security system that directly targets the resale and reuse of stolen devices.
Working with the Met, these protections are beginning to shut down the pathways criminals use to profit from stolen phones. This is already having an impact. Data shows that a significant number of phones stolen recently have not been reactivated, as a result of Apple’s changes.
This is a meaningful breakthrough, and the sustained pressure has also caused Samsung and Google to invest further in security.
Sir Mark Rowley is the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
Phone thieves will often ride on e-bikes or scooters to snatch phones from their victims
At the same time, policing has intensified. Over the past ten days, operations across London have targeted offenders on bikes, arrested prolific thieves and executed warrants at shops suspected of handling stolen devices.
The results are clear. In Westminster, the capital’s hotspot for this crime, phone theft has fallen by almost half. This is on top of the 10,000 fewer phones stolen across London last year.
But from the outset, I have made it clear that policing alone cannot solve this problem. The turning point comes when stolen phones lose their value.
That is exactly what this joint work between the Met and Apple is designed to do. Let me also be clear to those driving this crime: Your business model is being dismantled, piece by piece. This is a coordinated effort, with the Met sharing data to track devices and monitor whether stolen phones are reappearing. For the first time ever, policing has secured commitment from Apple that we will jointly publish quarterly data on stolen phones. We will have a shared ‘intel picture’.
But this cannot stop here. I have written to the Home Secretary asking her to bring forward legislation mandating data transparency from the phone industry. The public and shareholders should know how many phones are stolen and reactivated, and how they are used. I have also asked the Home Office to draft legislation which creates minimum technical standards, so that a phone stolen in Britain is rendered unusable.
Policing will do its part, but the breakthrough comes when the market collapses. Apple has shown what is possible. I’m asking Government to act – and industry must finish the job.
