Phone theft increase causes concern
Monday, November 12, 2012 - 11:29:08
The number of reports of mobile phone theft made to the police has risen by 25 per cent over the past three years, according to the latest statistics.
About a quarter of a million mobile phone thefts have been dealt with since 2010, but it is believed that the actual number of stolen devices may be much higher, since many people simply do not let the authorities know when a handset is taken.
Only one per cent of all stolen phones are ever recovered, which means that most people should not expect to be reunited with their handsets when they become the victims of crime.
The majority of the thefts are carried out by teenagers, according to figures published by the Metropolitan Police.
This has resulted in thousands of arrests, but of course the police are rarely able to recover the stolen goods.
Only six per cent of thefts occur as a result of a mugging, with most being enacted by pickpockets or opportunists.
There are a number of potential routes for a stolen mobile after it has been taken from its rightful owner. It can be shipped overseas for resale or passed on to a new owner, via sites like eBay, although there are reports of mobile phone recycling being used to launder stolen items.
Most mobile phone recycling companies are able to identify stolen items and regularly liaise with police to get information about dodgy handsets.
However, the only way that they can be well equipped to prevent the practice of using mobile phone recycling to sell on stolen handsets, is if members of the public actually report the theft.
This means that you should always get in touch with the police when your phone is stolen, even if you do not think that doing so will help you much. This can aid in the crackdown on phone thefts and should bring those responsible to justice.
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