DUBLIN, Ireland-Leading retailers and the police have teamed up in the United Kingdom to launch a crackdown on mobile-phone theft, with stolen phones being rendered unusable and those attempting to reprogram them facing stiff jail sentences.
Cooperation among U.K. mobile operators has allowed details of stolen handsets to be exchanged, ensuring they cannot be used on any network. More than 400,000 phones have been disabled during the past five months.
For its part, the U.K. government has pushed through new legislation that will allow the courts to impose sentences of up to five years for those found guilty of tampering with stolen phones.
Sir John Stevens, commissioner of the Metropolitan [London] Police Service, said: “This is the first time that the police, the government, and the mobile-phone industry have all worked together to crack down on mobile-phone theft. The message from this new scheme is clear-stolen mobile phones will not work. Anyone in the business of reprogramming mobile phones can also expect a prison sentence of up to five years.”
