§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mobile phones have been reported stolen in each month for the past two years; what measures he is taking to apprehend the criminals involved; and what steps he intends to take to make illegal the reprogramming of mobile phones.
§ Mr. MacleanFrom information collected centrally, it is not possible separately to identify offences of thefts of mobile phones. The investigation of criminal offences and the allocation and deployment of resources are operational policing matters and, as such, the responsibility of the chief officer of the force concerned. A number of forces have established specialist squads to tackle the problem of mobile phone theft.
455WThe Government have no plans, at present, to make the reprogramming of mobile phones a criminal offence.