UMVA has learned that a groundbreaking agreement between Apple and the Metropolitan Police will render stolen mobile phones unusable, effectively turning them into bricks. This move aims to deter phone snatching, a crime that has been plaguing Londoners.
The technology giant has made a deal with the Metropolitan Police, ensuring phones cannot be reactivated once they are marked as stolen. Samsung and Google have also agreed to make changes to tackle the issue, sharing device identifiers such as the International Mobile Equipment Identity Number.
This can not only track phones and switch them off, but reveal when they reappear in circulation. The agreement will disrupt entire criminal networks and business models worth millions, built entirely around snatching phones out of the hands of unsuspecting Londoners.
Police have been using new technology, including drones and Sur-On e-bikes, to track down phone snatchers. Operation Reckoning, a 10-day enforcement effort, saw 248 arrests and 770 stolen devices recovered in a previous crackdown.
A woman had her phone snatched in London, highlighting the severity of the issue. The Met seized 1,000 suspected stolen mobile phones during a raid on a shop in north-west London, and four men were arrested.
In a significant blow to phone thieves, three individuals pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods in an £180 million criminal operation, trafficking up to 40,000 devices to China. The Met's efforts have led to a significant reduction in phone theft, with a 20.6% reduction in offenses in 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has called on companies to do more to deter phone snatching, and has written to the Home Office asking for new laws to ensure there are minimum technical standards to make stolen phones unusable. Apple, Google, and Samsung are taking steps to address the issue, with Apple stating that keeping users' devices and data safe is at the heart of what they do.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has welcomed the agreement, saying that decisive and coordinated action from the mobile phone industry is long overdue to prevent stolen phones being used, sold, and repurposed.
