Phone shops across the country are locking their store doors while they trade in an attempt to tackle rising thefts, and now some retailers are considering using “kill switches” to disable stolen devices.
VodafoneThree, which boasts the largest retail network of 650 stores across the UK, has seen a shocking 967% rise in theft incidents during the first month of this year compared with the same period in 2024. The company has said that the crimes are particularly prominent in south-east England.
A spokesperson said: “In recent months, the telecoms sector has seen an alarming surge in aggressive robberies and attempted robberies in stores, particularly across London and the south-east of England. VodafoneThree has seen a nine-times increase in these types of incidents.”
In response, the company will lock doors in some of its stores during trading hours, which the spokesperson has described as a “disappointing but necessary step.” The doors will require security guards to let customers in and out of the store.
Virgin Media O2, which has roughly 305 stores nationwide, has also seen a rise in thefts compared to last year. Robberies and attempted ones increased by more than double in the first half of this year compared to all of 2024, The Guardian reports.
The company is making its biggest-ever security investment, which includes more security guards, a locked-door policy in crime hotspots, new panic alarms, and the improvement of security monitoring systems.
Will Houldsworth, director of retail at Virgin Media O2, said: “We have seen an unacceptable increase in attempted store robberies over recent months, driven by the activities of organised criminal gangs targeting mobile phone stores in London and the south-east.
“Through implementing a ‘locked door’ policy at certain stores at higher risk, and investing in more security panic alarms and enhancing in-house security systems, we’re fighting back and protecting our people and customers.
“We’re continuing to work with law enforcement, and with other providers experiencing similar issues, to tackle this problem and secure arrests and convictions.”
The Met police provided evidence to the House of Commons sicence and technology committee, informing them that they have been trying to get smartphone companies to prevent stolen devices from accessing cloud services and prevent them from being “smart” to reduce their resale value.
It is understood that smartphone sellers are eager for the introduction of a system that would make unsold devices that have been stolen from stores unusable – a “kill switch”.
Apple has enhanced security measures in its stores, making its phones inoperable if they are taken out of one of the retail branches.
When The Guardian approached Apple for a comment, Apple pointed to a post on its website last month about how it “protects user data and deters iPhone theft with advanced security protections.”
The tech giant also said it collaborated “with law enforcement agencies across the globe” to tackle device theft and “counterfeit parts operations”.