Met Police calls on tech firms to make stolen phones unusable
The Metropolitan Police is urging technology companies to implement measures that render stolen phones unusable and require publication of data on stolen devices. The initiative follows collaboration with Apple that has already reduced phone thefts by 18% year-over-year, with some London areas seeing reductions of nearly 46%. Making stolen phones worthless would eliminate criminals' incentive to steal them and disrupt the international trade in stolen devices worth millions of dollars.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has called on tech firms to make stolen phones harder to reuse and has asked the home secretary for legislation requiring phone companies to publish data on stolen devices and enforce measures rendering handsets unusable. The police force has begun sharing data with Apple to track what happens to stolen handsets, including whether they are reconnected to networks. Early results show that only a minority of stolen phones are being reactivated compared to a few months ago. Between June 2025 and May 2026, phone thefts fell by 14,000, representing an 18% decrease year-over-year, with Westminster experiencing a 45.8% reduction so far this year. The initiative follows an ultimatum issued by the Met Police chief in March, and Samsung and Google are also implementing security changes to address the issue. According to the Met, the international trade in stolen phones is worth millions of dollars, with devices stolen in London commanding higher prices in countries like China where government restrictions are absent.
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Met Police calls on tech firms to make stolen phones unusable
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Met Police calls on tech firms to make stolen phones unusable
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