What can you do to help combat mobile phone crime?

You can take basic steps to protect your phone.

• Encourage your friends and family to register their phones on the Immobilise web site. It really is an effective tool to help fight crime.
  
• Make sure you have your phone on you at all times, not just with you.
  
• Be aware of pickpockets in crowds don’t make it easy for them
• Don’t display phones in an unattended vehicle. 50% of all mobile thefts are from vehicles.
  
• Don’t advertise your mobile phone to a thief
  
• Does the second hand phone come from a legitimate source? Don’t leave yourself open to handling stolen goods! You can check before you buy using www.checkmend.com. (Small cost involved)
  
• Avoid using a mobile when you exit a train station or places where large amounts of people are. (Thieves can easily disappear into the crowd).

Work with the Police and, in particular, the NATIONAL MOBILE PHONE CRIME UNIT and "IMMOBILISE" your phone. A FREE service giving you extra security:

What will you need to register?
You will need the IMEI number of your phone together with the make and model number. (These are essential and you will not be able to register without them.

How do I get the IMEI number from my phone?
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Your service provider can also give you the IMEI. (For more information on the IMEI see the link on the left hand side.

What happens when my phone is registered?
Should your phone be lost or stolen Police can establish the real owner very quickly and there is a much greater chance of you getting your phone back.

This is a partnership-driven campaign involving Police,
Government and the Telecommunications Industry. It is aimed
at reducing street crime and the number of mobile phones stolen
during street crime by encouraging people who lose or have their mobile phone stolen to report the incident to their network provider

Can I show my phone as stolen?
A great feature of immobilise is the ability for the owner of the phone to instantly report their phone as either lost or stolen. However, it is still essential that you report it to police

Insurance

Sometimes though, crime just can't be prevented no matter what steps we take and how careful we are, that's why you should always consider a mobile phone insurance policy.

But it's not just crime that mobile phone insurance will cover you for - did you also know that apart from these 1.3million phones that are stolen each year that 1.6 million phones are lost and 1.2 million phones are damaged by water each year of which (believe it or not):