Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley asks the UK government to legislate changes aimed at reducing mobile phone theft. In communications to the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, Rowley calls for tech companies and phone providers to make stolen devices “unusable bricks,” so they cannot easily be reactivated or resold. The proposal also includes requiring firms to publish or share information about stolen devices, so that police and companies can better identify and block reactivated units. Sources report that Rowley’s plan focuses on measures that would make stolen phones harder to sell and therefore less attractive to steal. The reports describe London as a major centre for phone theft, citing high day-to-day figures and noting that London accounts for a large share of mobile phone thefts recorded across England and Wales. The initiatives discussed are framed as legislation and reporting requirements, rather than voluntary industry action.