The United Kingdom has emerged as the hotspot for mobile phone theft in Europe, according to recent insurance data revealing that nearly two-fifths of all thefts occur within its borders.
Figures compiled by American insurer SquareTrade show that 39% of phone theft claims across its 12 European markets came from the UK, despite British customers only accounting for 10% of the firm’s European client base.
The sharp rise in mobile phone thefts in the UK has prompted growing concern among law enforcement, with claims increasing by 425% since June 2021. In London alone, 42% of these thefts took place, representing 16% of the total across Europe.
According to the Metropolitan Police, around 80,000 mobile phones were stolen in London last year. Authorities have labelled the surge as the work of organised criminal networks, with stolen devices estimated to carry a combined street value of approximately £20 million. iPhones remain the most targeted smartphones due to their high resale value.
Police say mobile phone theft has become more lucrative for gangs than drug trafficking, with significantly lower risk. Many of the offenders involved in phone snatching are also linked to county lines drug operations.
Law enforcement officials are now urging major tech firms to take stronger action by disabling cloud services on stolen devices. They believe this would reduce the resale value of phones and discourage theft.
Representatives from Apple and Google addressed the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee last month to explain existing security measures. A senior Apple official stated that the company had invested heavily in anti-theft features, while a Google engineer said their system was designed to safeguard user data in such scenarios.
Despite these efforts, concerns remain about criminal gangs bypassing security systems and using stolen phones for fraudulent purposes, including blackmail and identity theft.
The UK’s disproportionate share of mobile phone thefts has added pressure on both tech companies and authorities to find collaborative solutions to this growing problem.
