Tackling the scurge of smartphone thefts

[Retro]

Smartphones already have got kill switches, especially iPhones, but more needs to be done to combat this crime, which has shot up by more than 200% recently.

If you think it's not such a serious crime, then consider that people nowadays have there whole lives on there, so the disruption, stress, anxiety and shear inconvenience that this imposes on their lives is major, even if the victim hasn't been physically hurt. On top of that, the criminals might be able to commit identity theft from the information found on the stolen smartphone to commit yet more crimes against the victims. How much of a risk this is depends on various factors though, but it's never zero.

Smartphone companies should introduce “kill switches” in devices to combat the epidemic of muggings and thefts, Yvette Cooper has said.

The Home Secretary has backed police chiefs’ demands that the phone companies have easy-to-use safety features that allow them to be disabled as soon as they are stolen.

Ms Cooper is also looking to hand police extra powers so that they can more easily enter homes where they suspect stolen phones are being stored and re-registered, ready for sale on the second-hand market.

The Home Secretary on Thursday chaired a summit of police and phone companies to discuss ways to tackle the surge in mobile phone thefts.

Introduce ‘kill switch’ to smartphones to stop mugging epidemic, says Home Secretary

Smartphone companies should introduce “kill switches” in devices to combat the epidemic of muggings and thefts, Yvette Cooper has said.

uk.yahoo.com