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Mobile phone crime blitz launched (UK) |
masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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from BBC
A nationwide crackdown on mobile phone crime is being launched with the creation of a special police unit.
Latest figures show half of all street crime now involves mobile phone theft.
Nearly 200 are stolen in England and Wales every day, mostly in London, and many are exported by gangs to Africa, Asia and Europe.
The £1m National Mobile Phone Crime Unit will bring together immigration, Customs and Excise and police officers with industry experts.
Senior police officers say, if successful, the unit could make a "significant" impact on the UK's robbery problem.
Mobile phone networks have recently made advances in anti-crime measures, with all stolen phones now capable of being blocked for use in Britain.
Tough penalties are also in place for criminals who seek to re-programme handsets.
However, Scotland Yard's Commander John Yates, who will be in charge of the unit, said it was believed the "epidemic" of mobile phone theft across Britain was still being fuelled by an international market.
Handsets taken abroad do not need re-programming and, while British customers are offered cheap phones as an incentive to sign up with networks, users abroad enjoy inexpensive calls but have to pay for handsets costing up to £800 each.
"This is all speculative at the moment," said Cmdr Yates, "the aim of the unit is to find out what is generating mobile phone theft and what we can do to combat it".
"If we crack it, it will make a significant impact on our robbery problem."
He said there were some extremely organised gangs, particularly behind burglaries on retail outlets.
"The whole purpose is to understand where the volume is going," Cmdr Yates added.
As part of the new initiative police are hoping to get industry co-operation to set up an international database to make all stolen handsets useless whatever their destination.
Information gathered by the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit about how criminals operate will be passed to all law enforcement agencies and police forces across the UK.
Although officially launched on Wednesday, the unit has already been involved in 40 operations, making 22 arrests and recovering 1,200 stolen mobiles.
Since 1999 the number of people using mobiles in Britain has risen from 17 million to 51 million.
And soaring street crime, especially phone snatches, has led to criticism of the government's record on law and order.
Earlier this year Prime Minister Tony Blair promised to cut street crime in the worst affected areas.
To block a lost or stolen mobile
08701 123 123
REACTIVATING A STOLEN PHONE
o Over 70% of the world's mobile phones use GSM, the Global System for Mobile Communications
o It means mobile phones can be used across national boundaries - known as 'roaming'
o But it also means a phone stolen in the UK can be used anywhere where GSM operates including Europe, Asia and Africa
o Re-programming a stolen mobile phone to operate in the UK is relatively simple
o But to work abroad all it needs is a new SIM card
masseur comment:
I've personally never had a phone stolen but this sounds horendous!
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PeterKay
Joined: Jul 08, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: The Ummah
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Thanks Masseur.
I was just about to post the same link. You beat me to it.
All i can say is about bloody time they started to give it more thought. |
masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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I have heard a popular target place in London is outside underground stations as many people get straight on their phone after coming up the escalators from underground.
I am sure there was a plan 2 or 3 years ago or so to introduce coverage on the underground? They have it here in Frankfurt and I am sure its available in Stockholm too as it was about to be introduced just after I last worked there.
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Superluminova
Joined: Feb 24, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: ...Mummies Tummy!
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thanks mass, its about time the police tried to do something about mobile crime.
it happens all the time and i see it happen regularly, most of the time its when people have just come out of phone shops with new handsets in carrier bags
or at footie matches where there are large crowds,
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PeterKay
Joined: Jul 08, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: The Ummah
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Does that mean if somebody steals my mobile and then takes it abroad it will work? even though ot is barred here in the uk? |
Cycovision
Joined: Nov 30, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: England
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@PeterKay
Yes, because the 'blocking' is network specific. In other words, if you have your phone stolen in the UK and report it, it will be barred by all of the UK networks so that non of their simcards can be used. But NOT by all of the other networks in other countries.
This is why some people find that a second hand, unlocked phone will work on all networks except one, because that one network has barred the phone for some reason but all of the others haven't.
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PeterKay
Joined: Jul 08, 2003
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From: The Ummah
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@Cycovision
Thanks for the detailed info, appreciate it.
I didn't think it would be possible to work abroad, maybe they should work on a programme that would barr the phone all around the globe. |
701
Joined: Nov 26, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Romania
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The eastern-european networks and i am sure some western ones too aren't interested in joining an it'nal black list4gsm ph for 1 simple reason: stolen phones mean new customers.
This message was posted from a T610 |
pachy
Joined: Nov 05, 2002
Posts: > 500
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Always keep your P9 in your pocket & use a BT headset while holding a shop display "Dummy" phone to your head.
Note, "Dummy" refers to the person who runs off with it.
Reminder; milk, sugar, crisps, post letter. |
Cycovision
Joined: Nov 30, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: England
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@peterkay
No probs mate, I'd bore you (or anyone else for that matter) to death on this forum anytime! 
@701
I quite agree. The stolen mobiles market has grown rapidly world wide, and while i'm not a 'conspiracy theorist', I'm pretty sure that the 'big businesses' are not ignorant of the opportunities that this practice inadvertantly presents to them. No surprise then that they don't seem to be too bothered about it, eh? I think you hit the nail on the head there 
[ This Message was edited by: Cycovision on 2003-12-17 22:16 ] |
Caveman
Joined: Jan 15, 2003
Posts: 168
From: Cambridge, UK
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I can imagine that the UK networks will only make a token effort so that it looks as if they are concerned about stolen phones. Bearing in mind the billions they have paid out on 3G licences, they are going to want to get their money back somehow.
[addsig] |
badboyzbadboyz
Joined: May 24, 2002
Posts: 180
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The only problem with this is:- if you buy a second hand phone of someone once they have been paid for it all they have to do is report it stolen etc after your cheque has been cashed etc they get new phone and you have one that does not work!
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SCORPIONKING1982
Joined: Mar 11, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Leeswood
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The companies probably make a fortune out of handset insurance too and if phones werent being stolen as much they might not get as much business for that!
Its strange though, ive heard how bad this problem of phone theft is but ive never been a victim, noone i know has and ive never even witnessed it and ive been around! I do however see the results of car crime nearly every day which to me is far greater a problem yet i see nothin much being done cus the government dont like cars!
anyway, still a huge hurrah for someone for doing something for a change.
im going back to the pub
myspace.com/scorpionking1982 |
vinnieza
Joined: Sep 25, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: UK or was it Pluto?
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i hope it works too,
* No questions asked * |
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Posted: 2003-12-17 12:57
