Monday, May 28, 2001		Article

THE British Police are to get a new weapon in the fight against the menace of mobile phone thieves — bombardment by text. They will send stolen mobile phones a text message every hour reminding the new owners of the error of their ways.

The message will say "You are in the possession of a stolen mobile phone. Please hand it in at the nearest police station, or you will be arrested. Regards, the Police." Officers hope the message will irritate thieves into handing in the phones or giving up phone theft altogether.

Sir John Stevens, the London Metropolitan Police Commissioner, has given the messaging scheme his backing. It also has the support of manufacturers’ and phone service providers.

"We’re aiming to make phones less attractive to steal, rather than trying to catch the stolen ones," said Supt Chris Miles of Scotland Yard’s crime policy unit. "If you have stolen the phone, (under this plan), it becomes worthless."

In March of this year a record 2,562 phones were stolen in the London area and there are on average only 4,100 street robberies a month in London.

Last week The Observer revealed robbery was continuing to rise by an average of 11 per cent a year. The police have linked the increase to the theft of mobile phones on the street — particularly by children, from children.

Thieves target both increasingly expensive handsets and the valuable SIM cards inside — the microchips containing the phone number, account details and user’s list of programmed numbers.