HOME OFFICE News
Release (047/2009) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 17 March 2009
New funding of
£250,000 has been made available to help police more swiftly
identify stolen mobile phones Home Office Minister Alan Campbell
announced today.
The scheme will see the Police National Computer (PNC) linked to
the National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR) enabling frontline
officers to quickly and easily check if a phone has been
registered as stolen from its rightful owner.
The Home Office and National Mobile Phone Crime Unit have also
been working with industry to build safeguards into new
developments in M-Commerce - which will see mobile phones being
used like debit cards - and are also developing a charter to
ensure the roll-out of M-Commerce takes crime prevention into
consideration. This is part of wider government action to ensure
future developments in mobile phone technology include
crime-prevention measures.
Home Office Minister, Alan Campbell said:
"By working closely with the mobile phone industry we have
already put in place measures to make it harder for thieves to
profit from mobile phone theft - around 90 per cent of handsets
reported stolen are now blocked within 24 hours of reporting
reducing their value and the incentive for thieves.
"The rapidly developing nature of mobile technology means we
must continue to work together to eliminate any future
opportunities for criminals to profit from mobile theft, as new
technologies develop those safeguards must be incorporated at the
drawing board stage.
"Linking the National Mobile Phone Register to the Police
National Computer will also provide enormous benefits to the fight
against mobile phone crime. Currently an average of 25 per cent of
searches result in the police obtaining vital information that
could result in property being retrieved and cases being solved. I
believe that putting this invaluable tool at frontline
officer's fingertips will see that number rise further.
"There is already a great deal of good work being done by
the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit and industry to ensure new
technology has anti-crime safeguards built in at the earliest
stage and I know that will continue."
An average of 25,000 police searches of the NMPR are carried out
every month. Integrating this database with the PNC will mean that
if a phone has been registered front-line officers will be able to
find out who the rightful owner is and whether the phone is stolen
with one simple call over a police radio.
Providing front-line officers with access to the register via the
PNC will significantly enhance the crime investigation facility
for all UK law enforcement.
Assistant Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and
Association of Chief Police Officers' lead on mobile phone
crime, Tim Godwin said:
"The National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR) has been a key
driver in tackling mobile phone crime, allowing police to check
the current status of a mobile phone through a simple online
search. Its use has already contributed to year-on-year reductions
in mobile phone crime.
"With the advent of new technology and developing
initiatives like mobile banking/payment it is essential that we
continue to improve policing tools to tackle mobile phone related
criminality. This funding will improve the accessibility and
efficiency of the NMPR, allowing police forces across the country
to target acquisitive crime involving mobile phones."
Adrian Gorman, general manager of fraud and security for O2 and
Chairman of the Communications Crime Strategy Group, said:
"The mobile phone industry works very closely with the
government and police service on the issue of street crime
involving mobile phones.
"This activity is another important and positive step in
providing the police officer on the beat with the ability to check
the identity of a mobile device that has been reported by their
owners as having been stolen.
"It will not only greatly assist the investigation of street
crime involving mobile phones, it will also assist the police in
returning stolen mobiles to their owners.
"This action, on the part of the Home Office, also
highlights the need for the user to ensure speedy and timely
reporting to their network when a mobile phone is stolen, so that
it can be blocked on the network."
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. In the last six months of 2007, 90,910 searches were made of
the NMPR resulting in 18,086 matches (21.5%). 44,681 of those
searches were from stop and search, resulting in 8,505 matches
(19%). This means that either a handset was identified as stolen
or the proper owner correctly identified.
2. Near Field Communication is a technology that enables
M-commerce, where mobile phones are used as credit or debit cards.
Global trials of the technology are taking place.
3. The National Mobile Phone Crime Unit, set up by the Home
Office and Association of Chief Police Officers in 2003, is a
national centre of excellence in disrupting the markets of stolen
mobile phones. Based in London, it is an intelligence unit that
advises forces on suitable disruption tactics and how to apply the legislation.
4. The National Mobile Phone Registeris linked to voluntary
databases - such as Immobilise, where people can enter their
phone's details. So if the phone is lost or stolen police can
identify it and return it to the rightful owner. Approximate 22
million phones are currently registered on it.
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