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Phone companies asked to help tackle rise in thefts


Some 78,000 people had their phone or bag snatched last year, more than double the previous year.

Phone companies are to be called into the Home Office to discuss measures to tackle crime after snatch thefts more than doubled in England and Wales over the last year. Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said the government wanted manufacturers to ensure that any stolen phone could be permanently disabled to prevent it being sold second-hand. Commander Richard Smith of the National Police Chiefs' Council said forces continued to" target those habitual criminals responsible for prolific offending".

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