How to protect your phone from thieves

Official figures show that a mobile phone is reported stolen in London every six minutes, and that UK-wide phone thefts have jumped by 31%. Here’s what you can do to keep yours safe.

Wait - a phone is stolen every six minutes?
Yep. Data obtained by the BBC shows that there were 91,000 reports of phone thefts in London in 2022 - an average of 248 a day. Just 2% of these stolen mobiles were later recovered.

A Met Police spokesperson said that phones are “easy to snatch”, particularly when owners take them out to text or look for directions. The force has urged the public to “especially be on the lookout for mopeds and bikes”.

What’s the bigger picture?
The news comes amid wider concerns about low clean up rates for burglaries and thefts. In August 2022, The Telegraph reported that police had failed to solve a single theft in more than 80% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales over the past three years. And the official inspectorate has found that austerity and a shortage of trained detectives has led to “unacceptable and unsustainable” low charge rates for these crimes.

So what should I do if my phone gets stolen?
If your phone is stolen, it’s most likely that the thief will wipe it to sell it on as fast as possible. There’s also a chance that they might try to access your data. Setting up a Find My Phone service means that if your phone is stolen, you not only have a better chance of locating it but are also able to wipe your data remotely, which may help ease privacy concerns.

If you’re an iPhone user, you might want to disable access to Airplane Mode from the lock screen, as that will prevent any potential thieves from blocking communication with your device if stolen in the future. You’ll still be able to use Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to exit the lock screen.

As well as informing the police if your phone gets stolen, make sure you let your network provider know too, to avoid any unwanted charges.

Check out Which? magazine’s full list of tips.