The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Police in mobile phone theft SMS blitz

Noriega treatment, Amsterdam-style

Free whitepaper – Deploying high-density zones in a low-density data center

Amsterdam police have launched a scheme to bombard mobile phone thieves with text messages.

As soon as a phone is reported stolen an SMS message stating: "This device is pinched. Purchase or sale is an offence - the police", will pop up on its screen.

This same message will be sent every three minutes.

"The idea is to drive the thieves mad," a police official involved in the operation, which started yesterday, told Reuters.

Police say the harassment techniques are an attempt to tackle muggings, which have been on the increase since October. Three quarters of muggings involve a mobile phone being nicked.

Around 500 mobile phones are stolen in Britain every day. ®

Related Stories

UK beats on mobile phone muggings
Top cop wants crackdown on mobile phone mugging
Mobile industry turns back on pre-pay market

Free whitepaper – Fundamental Principles of Air Conditioners for Information Technology

Don’t Miss

Mouse teaserOpenOffice.org pushes gamers' buttons with OOMouse

Retains 'burning hatred' for Microsoft, not Apple

Windows VistaWindows 7 kills two thirds of active Vista initiatives

Tech Panel results Fresh insights into desktop modernisation

Intel logo teaserBig Iron, big data, big networks, big problems

Interview Intel's Wilf Pinfold talks us through SC09

HP LogoHP scores SMB storage hat-trick

Disk, DAT and the other