Met Police Shares 14,000 Stolen-Phone Cases With Apple, Seeks Law to Block Reactivation
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 11
Met Police Shares 14,000 Stolen-Phone Cases With Apple, Seeks Law to Block Reactivation
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 11
Summary
Met Police said it has begun sharing stolen-handset data with Apple to track whether devices are reconnected to networks and build a global picture of where they end up.
Sir Mark Rowley is also pressing the home secretary for legislation requiring phone companies to publish stolen-device data and enforce measures that make handsets effectively unusable.
Only a minority of stolen phones are now being reactivated compared with a few months ago, Rowley said, arguing that collapsing resale value would cut the incentive to steal them.
Phone thefts in London fell by 14,000 in the year to May 2026, down 18% from the previous year, while Westminster has recorded a 45.8% drop so far this year.
The Met says the international trade in stolen phones is worth millions of dollars; Samsung and Google are also making security changes after Rowley warned tech firms in March.