Sadiq Khan hails new Android security features in bid to tackle phone thefts

Evening Standard

Transcript

00:00I welcome the progress Google have made.

00:01I mean, they've taken on the challenge I put to them last year,

00:03which is that you've got to do more to try and, to phone companies rather,

00:07you've got to do more to try and design out crime.

00:10I used as the example last year, the progress made with, you know,

00:14the theft of stereos in cars or TomTom satellite, satellite,

00:18satellite machines and so forth.

00:20And they've taken on the challenge using AI, using sensors.

00:24That means if you've got an Android phone and you download this software,

00:27if somebody does steal your phone,

00:28if somebody does rob your phone, God forbid,

00:31that phone is almost useless to the thief and the robber.

00:33Your data is protected,

00:35but you as a user have an easy way to deactivate your phone and make sure it's

00:40not used your data stolen.

00:42I actually want as the ultimate prize for secondhand stolen phones to be

00:46completely useless for the past,

00:49not to be used by organized criminals and others.

00:51That's why those who make phones,

00:54mobile phone companies need to do more still. At the same time,

00:57the police are working incredibly hard to targeting crime hotspots,

00:59targeting organized criminals,

01:01bearing down on those who steal phones to try and steal phones.

01:04It's just to an effort, you know, with the police and the phone companies.

01:07But what is it that's fueling the increase?

01:09Because there was a 50% jump in thefts last year.

01:12And are you making it enough of a priority?

01:16Well, across the country,

01:16you've seen a big increase in robberies and thefts of phones is a particular

01:20issue in London because of the tourist we have,

01:22the transit population and so forth.

01:23One out of three robberies is of a mobile phone,

01:26more than two out of three personal thefts of a mobile phone.

01:29So it's a big issue for me and for the police.

01:32We've got a robbery reduction partnership that's been set up,

01:34working with the police, working with other authorities,

01:35working with businesses, working with others.

01:38We now know from the data what the crime hotspots are.

01:40So there are police patrols,

01:42both over and covert targeting organized criminals.

01:46At the same time,

01:47we've got to recognize there's an incentive to steal a mobile phone because

01:49it's worth lots of money.

01:50There's an incentive for organized criminals to export these phones overseas.

01:54We've seen from work police have done.

01:55Some of these phones turn up being used in countries and other parts of the

01:59globe. That's why we're saying to the mobile phone companies,

02:02you've got to do much more.

02:03What Google have done over the last year is remarkable,

02:05but I think it's for the mobile phone companies to do even more.

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