Blackberry still really popular…with phone thieves
New data from the Home Office reveals that while Apple devices are most popular with thieves, Blackberry phones are also targeted
The Blackberry 9790 is one of the most stolen phones in the UK, despite Blackberry stumbling from one sales disaster to the next. Figures released by the Home Office reveal that the four most stolen phones in the UK are all iPhones, with Blackberry handsets being nicked more often than models from Samsung and HTC.
With Blackberry being roundly trounced by Android and iOS, the much-beleaguered company is still popular with common thieves. The iPhone 5 is the most stolen phone in the UK, with the iPhone 5C, 5S and 4S making up the top four.
Rather than being linked to popularity thieves target phones that are seen as ‘soft’ targets with poor security. The Blackberry 9790 is joined in the top 20 by the Blackberry 8520, Z10, 3G, 9900 and 9780.
Other big name phones in the top 20 most stolen list include the Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4, HTC One X, One S and One, iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy Note.
According to the Home Office the introduction of new security features in iOS 7 has significantly reduced the black market value of stolen handsets. It also pointed to new tools to let people track and lock stolen devices as having a big impact on theft rates.
“The mobile phone industry is already taking vital action to introduce features that enable phones to be tracked and wiped if they are stolen,” said home secretary Theresa May.
“It is encouraging to see that these security improvements have contributed to recorded theft from the person falling by 10 per cent in the last year, according to the most recent crime statistics.”
The Home Office said that the likelihood of a phone being stolen was driven by a number of factors, including how “desirable” it was, ease of access to personal data and the perceived risk of it being tracked once stolen.
New figures reveal that phones are most likely to be stolen directly from their owner, either through pick-pocketing or when the handset is left unattended on a table at a bar. People aged 14-24 are especially vulnerable with women also targeted more by phone thieves.