16 April 2007
A new government report has welcomed the progress of mobile phone suppliers in wiping out mobile phone thefts by beating the 80% target of stolen mobiles being cut off from the networks within hours of being reported missing set by the Home Office last year.
All five of the network providers charged with the task - 3, Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2 - exceeded the 80% goal with nearly all of the stolen phones being blocked within 48 hours.
The idea behind the scheme is that by making the handsets useless, thieves are less likely to steal them from consumers who statistically are the younger, more vulnerable members of society.
Announcing further plans to make re-programming a mobile phone an illegal practice, the Home Secretary John Reid said that he was determined to "stamp out" mobile phone theft.
Tim Godwin from the Association of Chief Police Officers praised the work of the network operators, adding that the success of the programme "demonstrates the industry's commitment to blocking stolen phones across all networks".
"I believe this ongoing support is playing a major part in our joint efforts to drive down mobile phone crime," he added.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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