Mobile industry pledges crime crackdown

IN A move diesigned more to show concern over the UK's growing rate of mobile phone crimes than doing anything truly new, the UK's mobile industry has pledged to cut off stolen phones within 48 hours.

The initiative has been co-ordinated by the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum (MICAF). However, it will utilise an existing datbase of stolen phone numbers which centres around the handset's unique IMEI number.

While the UK's five networks are effectively just saying that they are working together to cut off hnadsets faster, there's no sign of new technology being agreed across the board.

For example, the technology exists to 'zap' a handset using OTA technology which would render the handset unuseable ever again.

Such technology was even proposed for European's digital cordless (DECT) phones over 10 years ago. It needs to be added to existing standards for GSM to work efficiently.

The reality is that a large number of stolen phones are sent abroad. What is really needed, for example, is for the British database to be linked with networks operating in second tier countries such as Roumania and Nigeria, where many of these phones end up.

In the meantime, the MICAF is planning to introduce a campaign aimed at the young - who compromise the majority of victims - and make them aware of the dangers of using phones in public. µ