Street Robbery
Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act
This Act, which came into force on 4 October 2002, aims to tackle the rise in mobile phone theft by creating new offences that could mean five years in prison and unlimited fines for those re-programming stolen mobile phones. Mobile phone theft is a key factor in the rise in street robberies.
The Bill is a key measure in the Government and industry’s strategy to make stolen phones of little use or value. It backs moves by mobile phone operators to bar stolen phones from their networks.
The new offences proposed are:
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Changing the unique identifying characteristic of a mobile phone – the IMEI number
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Owning or supplying the necessary equipment with the intent to use it for re-programming mobile phones.
The new offences could be heard in either magistrates’ courts or the Crown Court. If dealt with by magistrates, offenders could face the maximum penalty available in magistrates’ courts of up to six months imprisonment or a £5,000 fine, or both. If the case is heard in the Crown Court the maximum penalty would be up to five years imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both.
Mobile phone operators have initiated systems to enable them to bar stolen phones across all networks putting them out of use - but if the unique ID, or IMEI, number is changed on a stolen phone, it could continue to be used. The Bill makes re-programming stolen phones a crime in its own right and backs up police efforts to tackle handling of stolen goods.
Existing GSM (Global System for Mobiles) security standards require that IMEI numbers should be hardcoded to prevent re-programming. The relevant Third Generation Partnership Project GSM standard states that:
The IMEI shall not be changed after the Mobile Equipment’s final production process. It shall resist tampering, ie manipulation and change, by any means, eg physical, electrical and software.
The implementation of each individual module should be carried out by the manufacturer who is also responsible for ascertaining that each IMEI is unique and keeping detailed records of produced and delivered Mobile Stations (mobile phones).
This requirement is valid for new GSM phones type approved after 1st June 2002 and with immediate effect for the development of 3G devices. The GSM Association has no actual powers to enforce the adoption of the new hardened IMEI.
The Government is continuing to press manufacturers to improve the security of the products and comply with the European standards that require hard-coding of mobile phones with IMEI numbers that cannot be changed.
An IMEI number is a unique 15-digit serial number for each mobile phone. It can be accessed by keying *#06# into most phones, or by looking behind the battery of the phone.
Full text of the Act
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http://www.uk-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/20020031.htm
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Explanatory notes: http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/en2002/2002en31.htm
Last update: 24/11/03