Fears that phone snatching law change may fall short

Stolen mobile phones could soon be permanently disabled in a bid to combat the soaring levels of theft across the UK - but a security expert fears it may not be enough to stop the problem of fraud.

- HARRIETTE BOUCHER

Labour MP Dawn Butler is seeking an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, which would require mobile phone companies to block stolen phones within 48 hours of a police report and pay financial penalties if they fail to do so. In theory, this would discourage people from swiping them as they would lose resale value.

Ms Butler, who has recently announced she will stand for London mayor if Sir Sadiq Khan stands down, said: “Tech giants have a clear responsibility here: the tools already exist to disable stolen devices, and it’s time to use them.”

In Westminster alone last year, nearly 35,000 phones were reported stolen. A large number of these are then used to access bank accounts and other data. According to Action Fraud, the money is then transferred or used to make purchases.

Between December 2024 and February 2025, £641,208 in phone theft fraud was reported to the national fraud reporting centre.

Tech retailer Currys found that 77 per cent of British people view “phone snatching” as a significant problem.