Proactive Investors - Mobile phone makers and network operators have been urged to introduce new security measures into devices after the ONS reported that snatch thefts in the UK are running at 200 a day.
Tech and phone firms have called to a meeting by the government to discuss ways stolen phones can be disabled quickly if stolen, to discourage would-be thieves.
Snatch thefts are targeted at people using the phone so that thieves can get access quickly and change the password before accessing all of the device’s data.
According to the ONS, there were 78,000 snatch thefts in the year to March including bags, up from 31,000 the year before.
In London, Met Police boss Mark Rowley said 70% of all thefts related to mobile phones.
Police chiefs have been instructed by the government to use criminal intelligence tools to review the incidences of thefts to find who is behind them and where any stolen firms go.
Dame Diana Johnson, the Policing Minister, said manufacturers should o ensure that any stolen phone can be permanently disabled to prevent it being sold second-hand.
“Phone companies must ensure that any stolen phones can be quickly, easily and permanently disabled, rather than re-registered for sale on the second-hand market, and we will be meeting them soon to discuss what further action is required to make that happen," said Johnson.