London police partner with Apple to disable stolen iPhones

The Metropolitan Police has announced a new data-sharing partnership with Apple to track and disable stolen iPhones, a key step in its campaign to dismantle the multi-million dollar criminal networks behind phone theft in London. The force is simultaneously pushing for new legislation to compel all phone manufacturers to adopt similar measures.

Under the agreement, which began this week, the Met and Apple are routinely sharing intelligence, including device identifiers known as IMEI numbers. This allows police to build a global picture of where stolen phones are being reactivated, exported, or broken down for parts. The core aim is to ensure that once a phone is reported stolen, it becomes an unusable "brick," destroying its resale value.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the collaboration is already yielding results. He stated that whereas a majority of stolen phones were once reactivated due to security flaws, that is now the minority due to recent security improvements. "If stolen phones cannot be reactivated, their value collapses, and so does the incentive to steal them," Rowley said. "We are driving up the risk for offenders while cutting off the reward."