The Metropolitan Police has launched an initiative to make stolen phones harder to reuse, aiming to prevent criminals from profiting from the illicit trade. The force has started sharing data with Apple to build a global picture of what happens to stolen handsets, including whether they are being reconnected to a network.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has asked the home secretary for legislation to make phone companies publish data on stolen devices and enforce measures that render handsets effectively unusable. This move is part of a broader effort to tackle phone theft, which has become a significant problem in London, with some of the highest rates per thousand people of personal robbery and thefts in England and Wales.
Sir Mark has worked with Apple to improve security, and the results are already showing promise. Only a minority of stolen phones are being reactivated compared to a few months ago, making it harder for criminals to profit. Apple believes it has "cracked" the engineering problem, and data is starting to show that the vast majority of phones stolen in recent weeks in the capital were not factory reset.
The Met has also entered into an intelligence sharing agreement with Apple, which will see the two share data to better understand criminality in London and whether security upgrades on phones need improving. This collaboration is expected to make a significant difference in the fight against phone theft, with Sir Mark stating that if stolen phones can only be broken up for parts, criminals will steal fewer of them.
The international trade in stolen phones is worth millions of dollars, with a device stolen in London worth more in countries like China because it has none of the government restrictions put in place by authorities there. The Met Police is also employing innovative tactics, including the use of e-bikes, drones, and live facial recognition, to cut the number of phone thefts on the capital's streets.
According to the Met, the number of thefts where phones were stolen fell by 14,000 between June 2025 and May 2026, down 18% on the previous year. In Westminster, where between 69% and 72% of thefts from the person and personal robberies each week involve phones, there has been a reduction of 45.8% so far this year.
Kate Adams, senior vice-president of government affairs at Apple, has expressed support for the initiative, highlighting the company's commitment to working with law enforcement to combat phone theft. As the tech industry continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see more collaboration between companies and authorities to tackle this growing problem.
