A senior Labour MP has issued a stark warning that the government's failure to tackle Britain's spiralling phone theft epidemic is putting Christmas gifts at risk this year.
Accusations of Government Complacency
Dame Chi Onwurah, the chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, has publicly accused Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood of "complacency" over the crime wave, which costs the nation an estimated £70 million a year. The criticism centres on the government's failure to convene a long-promised summit with technology companies and police forces to address the crisis.
Dame Onwurah warned that without urgent action, Britons will spend the festive season living in fear that any new phones received as gifts could be swiftly stolen. At least 230 mobile phones are stolen every day on average in the UK, a figure that has doubled over the past five years.
Tech Solutions and Political Delays
MPs and police argue that manufacturers, notably Apple, hold the key to drastically reducing thefts through simple technological fixes. These include implementing a "kill switch" to render stolen devices useless and making serial numbers more prominent so recovered phones can be returned to their owners. Currently, only 20% of recovered phones are reunited with their owners.
Despite an initial meeting held in February, a crucial follow-up summit scheduled for May has been repeatedly delayed, with no new date announced. Dame Onwurah revealed she first wrote to the Home Secretary in October but had received only a holding response by late November, which stated discussions were "taking place in the coming weeks".
Frustrated by the lack of progress, her committee published the correspondence alongside a scathing statement. "The government's silence on this issue shows its complacency – without action, theft could keep surging, and Christmas gifts remain at risk," Dame Onwurah said.
Police Action and Industry Inertia
The Metropolitan Police has been in talks with Apple for over a year about implementing anti-theft measures but reports no concrete action from the tech giant, which recently launched the iPhone 17. In a significant operation in October, the Met dismantled a gang exporting thousands of stolen phones to Hong Kong.
A Home Office spokesman stated: "Mobile phone theft is a disgraceful crime – every stolen device robs someone of their safety and peace of mind. We are continuing to work closely with key stakeholders to explore innovative solutions... and will update the Chair on these meetings in due course."
However, with Christmas approaching, pressure is mounting on the government to move from discussion to decisive action and compel technology firms to implement the security features that could stem the tide of thefts.
