The kill switch works! Smartphone theft drops in major US, UK cities

Smartphone theft in some of the major cities in the US and the UK has declined dramatically, so say the authorities.

But it's not because of improved law enforcement, it's actually down to manufacturers implementing a kill switch option, allowing smartphones to be deactivated remotely.

London saw a drop in smartphone thefts by 50 percent, San Francisco by 40 percent, and New York by 25 percent, said authorities on Tuesday.

"We have made real progress in tackling the smartphone theft epidemic that was affecting many major cities just two years ago", said London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Senior politicians of these cities started a joint campaign back in 2013, asking manufacturers to introduce a kill switch to their devices, saying that tens of thousands of devices are being stolen every month.

Only in London, as the mayor said, 10,000 handsets are stolen every month.

Apple was the first to react, adding a "lock phone" feature to its Find my iPhone app in 2013, followed by Microsoft and Google, who had announced, in July 2014, a similar feature.

California is about to implement a new law that would force manufacturers to implement a kill switch feature. The initiative has gotten wide support from California prosecutors and law enforcement agencies.

"The wireless industry continues to roll out sophisticated new features, but preventing their own customers from being the target of a violent crime is the coolest technology they can bring to market", said San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon.

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