Apple, Samsung and Google are being urged by London’s police chief to help tackle the growing problem of mobile phone theft in the city. The UK government has warned that the major smartphone makers could be asked to mandate stronger anti-theft measures if companies do not act voluntarily by the summer.According to a Financial Times report, Mark Rowley, commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Service, said the force will push for legislation if phone makers fail to introduce technology that blocks stolen devices from being used anywhere in the world. The move is part of broader efforts to address phone theft, which affects tens of thousands of London residents each year and has raised concerns about street crime in the city.In a conference, London’s most senior police officer, Rowley, said, “If, by June, industry has not come forward in a genuinely serious, solutions-focused way with concrete commitments that make stolen phones unusable anywhere in the world the Met will formally ask the government to legislate. Only Apple, Google and Samsung can break this model . . . Without them, criminals will adapt and markets will persist.”
What measures London police wants Apple, Google and Samsung should take to reduce phone theft
Smartphone makers have faced repeated calls from London police to strengthen their technology to reduce incentives for theft and limit the resale market for stolen smartphones. Rowley said the Metropolitan Police Service recorded a decline in phone thefts, with cases falling by more than 12% from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391 in 2025. However, the force remains under pressure to take further action.Rowley told FT that companies should introduce a “non-bypassable stolen mode”, which would turn a stolen phone “into a brick” immediately after a theft is reported. He also called for additional steps, including integrating the International Mobile Equipment Identity number into phone hardware so that any attempt to alter the identifier would disable the device.Another proposal involves component pairing, which would prevent valuable parts from being resold unless they match the credentials of the original device. Currently, phone makers and network operators use security measures such as passcodes to unlock devices but have not implemented broader systems that permanently disable stolen phones. Apple recently introduced an optional stolen device protection feature that requires biometric authentication and a passcode for certain changes, including account modifications.When asked what legislation the police might seek, Assistant Commissioner Matthew Twist told FT, “In cases where there is a phone that is stolen, that is verified by police, that there would be a mandation that tech companies to . . . hardware block that phone, so that nobody else can ever use it again.”The proposal has received backing from London mayor Sadiq Khan, who said he would support the commissioner in calling on the government to introduce legislation if companies do not act. “[There have been] lots of warm words, but we’ve not had the progress that we’d like to see, so we’re imploring them: work with us,” Khan told FT.A spokesperson for Google said Android’s anti-theft tools already “give added security for billions of people, including Londoners”. The company added that it was “delighted to attend the Met Police’s conference to demonstrate our commitment to device safety [and] to outline our work to protect those who use our products”, highlighting a partnership with police in São Paulo to address phone theft in the city.Rowley said he plans to travel to the US next week to meet executives from Apple and Google to discuss the issue, while the Metropolitan Police continues its efforts to address mobile phone theft.
