Thefts of mobile phones in France fell 10.19 percent to 156,500 in 2008 from 174,250 in 2007, according to the French National Police Administration. The administration attributed the fall to the joint efforts of the police, mobile operators and handset makers.
The mobile network operators set up a shared IMEI blocking database in 2003 that makes phones reported as stolen unusable within France.
The French mobile operator association AFOM ran a radio advertising campaign backed by Nokia, Samsung and Sagem on the risks of mobile phone thefts last year, advising users to note the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number of their handsets and to provide it to their operator if their phone is stolen.
Posted to the site on 9th June 2009
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/37901.php