On the back of the UK’s Mobile Phone Industry Crime Forum (MPICF) revealing the very good news that over 80% of stolen mobiles are blocked from use within 48 hours of the theft taking place, UK Home Secretary John Reid has revealed new sentences those who re-programme stolen handsets (to avoid the network blocks). Those found guilty of either re-programming - or selling a phone for re-programming - will face jail terms of up to five years.
While Pocket Picks warmly welcomes both the news that blocking is proving so effective (register your handset now at www.immobilise.com), we do ponder slightly the balance of a British legal system that is ready to hand-down five year terms for re-programming a mobile phone but which also, on average, hands out sentences of around seven years for rape. Still, five years in the slammer for fiddling with a few mobile phones? It would make us think twice, that’s for sure.
That does seem hugely disproportionate, but I suppose it’s a few specialised people who are unlocking a lot of phones every month that they’re trying to target – organised crime etc. Probably the usual thing where it’s easier to get them for something strange (like Capone’s taxes) than for the robbing of the phones? (They’ll have evidenceof an unblocking operation, but no proof of the individual crimes?)