Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with technology companies on (a) strengthening protections to make stolen mobile phones harder for criminals to reactivate and (b) sharing device identifiers with police forces.

Home Office Ministers and officials regularly engage with technology companies, policing and other parters to explore solutions to tackle mobile phone theft, including strengthening device protections and improving the sharing of data with law enforcement.

We welcome progress made in recent months. Technology companies, including Apple and Google, have introduced enhanced anti‑theft security features aimed at making the life of criminals harder. There has also been important progress in collaboration between industry and policing to improve data sharing and build a clearer picture of how stolen devices are being used.

However, we are clear that further progress is needed. We continue to engage closely with partners on additional measures, including improving access to data on stolen devices and exploring options to strengthen protections so that stolen phones cannot be reactivated. We are considering a range of options and will take further action if necessary.