Police Arrest 56 People for Handling Stolen Mobile Phones
A series of police raids in London, UK during last month had resulted in the seizure of 324 stolen mobile phones and 56 arrests. The National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU) used undercover police officers and recruited informants to help them clamp down on mobile phone theft.
Many of the arrests, while focusing on mobile phones also uncovered a large array of other stolen goods as well.
Detective Constable David Baker said: "Operation Prestige targeted London boroughs that needed to be urgently investigated for street robberies.
"We had a single point of contact in each borough that we worked closely with, and we also relied on a lot of information, including from the public."
The NMPCU is usually granted two search warrants every week, and believes that mobile phone crime is often linked to possession of firearms and drug trafficking.
The National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU) was officially launched in December 2003 and works in partnership with the Government, the Telecoms Industry, other Law Enforcement Agencies. The body not only targets mobile theft, but also people who misreport handsets as stolen - when in fact they have just been lost - so that they can claim on their personal insurance policies.
Posted to the site on 3rd January 2008