Mary Upton
Question:448 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps which are necessary to address the growing problem of mobile phone theft. [5627/03]
Written Answers - Crime Levels.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that discussions are taking place between representatives of the Garda National Crime Prevention Office and the mobile phone service providers, as part of the 'Telecommunications Fraud Forum', with the aim of enhancing mobile phone security.
I understand that the service providers are all now working towards the implementation of new technology to bar stolen handsets from their systems. The technology is expected to be in place later this year.
This development will allow the victim to report a handset stolen to the service provider. The service provider will then bar the stolen phone from that network and advise the Global System for Mobiles (GSM) Association that that handset is barred. The other service providers, through the GSM Association, will then download the stolen handset numbers and bar them from their systems, thereby rendering the stolen phone useless. The service providers will also be in a position to download the handsets stolen in the UK and bar them from their systems. I also understand that a publicity campaign to inform the public that stolen phones can be removed from the system is being discussed.
I consider that this technology, when fully implemented, has the capacity to significantly reduce the incidence of mobile phone thefts.