UK Gov tackle mobile theft with txt spk

Link: ‘Txt Spk’ Campaign To Tackle Mobile Theft |Sky News|UK News

With rather ironic timing after Ewan’s recent mobile phone theft, the UK Government have announced a £500k advertising campaign aimed at reducing mobile phone theft.

The Home Office advertisments, targeting 16-25 year olds, are asking ‘r u getting the msg?’, and stressing that stolen mobile phones will be turned into a brick within 48 hours as they’ll be blocked from all networks.

Baroness Scotland, the Minister responsible for the campaign, said: “Home Office minister Baroness Scotland said: “I want this campaign to take the bottom out of the illicit phone market entirely. Young people should be left in no doubt that stolen phones won’t work anymore. The prize will be a dramatic reduction in mobile phone crime overall making young people safer.”

According to statistics obtained by Sky News, seven out of 10 mobile phone thefts occur when a handset is left unattended, and phones are amongst the stolen items in 52% of robberies – and the only item stolen in around 28%.

Since April 2007 it’s been an offence under the Violent Crime Reduction Act to offer to or agree to re-program a mobile phone – whereas before police officers had to actually catch someone in the act of re-programming a mobile before being able to arrest them.