Government to Convene Tech Summit to Address 150% Surge in Phone Thefts

Home Office calls for new innovations to curb rising street crime as police investigations struggle with low charge rates.

An estimated 78,000 phone or bag snatch thefts occurred in the year to March 2024, up from 31,000 the previous year.
The rise in thefts is attributed to increased demand for second-hand smartphones in the UK and abroad.
Only 0.8% of theft cases led to a charge, with 81.9% of investigations closed before identifying a suspect.
The government plans to work with tech companies to develop features that permanently disable stolen phones.
Operation Opal will conduct a probe to gather more intelligence on the criminals and the stolen phone market.