Met police chief calls for law to make stolen phones ‘unusable bricks’
Summary
The Metropolitan police chief, Sir Mark Rowley, has asked the UK home secretary to require phone companies to make stolen phones unusable, to reduce theft. London suffers high phone theft rates, and the police are working with Apple to track stolen phones and stop criminals from using them.Key Facts
- London sees 200 to 300 phones stolen every day, making it the phone theft capital of Europe.
- The Metropolitan police want a law forcing phone companies to block stolen devices from being used again.
- Apple updated iPhones to require Face ID or Touch ID for sensitive actions, making stolen phones harder to reset or sell.
- Police share data with Apple to track stolen phones when they reconnect to networks.
- A recent police case found a gang selling 40,000 stolen phones to China.
- The Met uses e-bikes, drones, and live facial recognition to catch phone thieves in London.
- Phone theft in London dropped by 18% between June 2025 and May 2026, and by over 20% in early 2027.
- London’s mayor criticized phone makers for not having a "kill switch" to disable stolen phones immediately.
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