Only 15 of 305 of phone thefts reported to North Yorkshire Police resulted in a charge, according to Freedom of Information requests by the Liberal Democrats. Tom Gordon has called for a crackdown with a return to proper neighbourhood policing, and a dedicated staffed police desk in every community.
Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has said that stealing phones has ‘effectively been decriminalised’, as Freedom of Information requests by the Liberal Democrats revealed less than 5% of all phone thefts resulted in a charge by North Yorkshire Police.
The shocking new data from 2024/25 shows how police forces are struggling to identify those responsible for stealing phones, with 67.54 % of cases being closed before a suspect is found.
In total, the Freedom of Information requests uncovered a total of 305 cases, with only 15 of cases resulting in a charge by North Yorkshire Police.
The Liberal Democrats have said the Government must crackdown by restoring proper community policing and having more bobbies on the beat to keep our streets safe. The Party is calling for a ‘Police Counter Promise’, guaranteeing a staffed police desk in every community, to give people peace of mind that phone theft is being taken seriously.
The Liberal Democrats have also called on the Government to tighten up regulations to ensure all phone providers are immediately mandated to disable stolen phones, effectively killing the market for reselling which has been exploited by criminal gangs.
Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said:
People could be forgiven for concluding phone theft has been effectively decriminalised. Criminal gangs are feeling emboldened to strike in broad daylight, safe in the knowledge they have a less than 4.92% chance of ever being caught.
A stolen phone isn’t just an expensive item, it holds your entire digital life, from bank accounts to private messages. The fact that so many cases are closed by North Yorkshire Police without a suspect even being named is a slap in the face to victims across the county.
The Liberal Democrats are calling time on this phone snatching epidemic. The Government needs to get on with guaranteeing a police desk in every community, and restoring neighbourhood policing, only then will we be able to crack down on this daylight robbery.
The Liberal Democrats lodged the following FOI request:
Q1. Can you provide us with the total number of phone theft incidents recorded by your police force for the year 2024/25?
Q2. Can you also provide a breakdown of all outcome types for the recorded cases, in particular for these two outcomes:
• Investigation complete – no suspect identified
• Charged/Summonsed
