Cumbria Constabulary to Pilot New Mobile Technology
Cumbria Constabulary to Pilot New Mobile Technology
25th June , 2009
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UK : Cumbria Constabulary is set to take part in a two week pilot at the end of this month to try out a new device that will help identify those in possession of stolen mobile phones.
The handheld ‘Apollo’ device, provided by Radio Tactics Limited, scans IMEI numbers or barcodes found inside every mobile phone and instantly provides police officers with information including the phone’s registered owner, whether it has been reported as stolen or if it has ever been blocked by the network provider.
The technology was introduced around 18 months ago and Cumbria is joining other police forces across the UK that are piloting the devices in a bid to identify and deter criminals and communicate vital crime prevention advice around registering and securing your mobile phones. The device is also able to identity stolen iPods and MP3 players that have been correctly registered by their owners.
Cumbria’s new Deputy Chief Constable in his role as President of the Society for the Policing of Cyberspace (POLCYB) presented an award to Radio Tactics Limited this week to thank the company for its support in the fight against cyber crime.
DCC Stuart Hyde said: “As technology gets more sophisticated and expensive, so it becomes more attractive to criminals.
“I am committed to finding more efficient ways for officers to carry out their work within our communities and trialling this new technology will allow them to have instant access to accurate information to make informed, speedy arrests and recover more stolen phones.
“The devices have been well received by our neighbouring police forces that have been able to gather vital evidence against offenders, bring about more charges and return more stolen property.”
David Pye, Business Development Manager at RTL said: “These days, mobile phones can cost up to £400 or £500 pounds each and there has been a trend across the country for people to falsely report their mobile phone as stolen in order to receive an insurance payout.
“This technology allows police to identify where these sorts of fraudulent claims have been made to ensure they’re not investigating crimes that haven’t happened and to launch new investigations into insurance fraud.”
DCC Hyde concludes: “The message is simple – if you carry a stolen mobile phone you will be caught and dealt with. The most important thing that people need to do is register their mobile phones. You can do this by logging onto http://www.menduk.org/ or http://www.immobilise.com/ to add your details to national databases that are instantly available to police. It is so quick and easy to do and it can save you a lot of heartache later.”
DCC Hyde is in his fourth year as President of the Society for the Policing of Cyberspace (POLCYB) - a charity which sees law enforcement and industry working together to increase people’s personal and professional knowledge of cyber crime issues.