Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help reduce (a) mobile phone and (b) laptop theft in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency.

This Government is determined to tackle theft offences, including the theft of mobile phones and laptops, which have a significant impact on victims.

The Government is working closely with policing and technology partners who are collaborating on technical measures aimed at reducing the attractiveness of mobiles to criminals. In recent months, companies including Apple and Google have introduced enhanced theft protection measures, while a data sharing agreement being operated by the Met and Apple is helping assess how effectively these measures are working.

We welcome these advances. The Government is continuing to support these efforts and is monitoring progress closely. If not satisfied about the pace of progress, we will take further action, including legislation if necessary.

We are also boosting the enforcement response. Through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we are restoring neighbourhood policing, putting more officers and Police Community Support Officers into communities, ensuring every neighbourhood has named and contactable officers, and strengthening the response to local crime. We are also providing the police with stronger powers through the Crime and Policing Act, including powers to enter and search premises where GPS-tracked stolen property is reasonably believed to be located, enabling officers to recover stolen items more quickly.

These efforts are supporting local action against theft. While specific data on mobile phone and laptop theft in Newcastle and Tyne East and Wallsend is not available, the Newcastle upon Tyne Community Safety Partnership recorded 438 theft from person offences (which includes mobile phone and laptop theft by snatch theft and pickpocketing) in the year ending March 2026, a 10% decrease on the previous year.