Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter
INDICATING THAT the problem was starting to ge out of control, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force is promising a major crackdown on the theft of cellular phones.
This comes following two incidents where two schoolgirls were fatally stabbed after refusing to hand over their phones to robbers.
Assistant Commissioner, George Williams, head of the division, told The Gleaner that the police had received an increasing number of reports about persons being targeted for their cell phones and were responding with new strategies. He said he could not reveal details of the strategies to be employed as that might provide an advantage to potential robbers.
"We know of individuals who are robbing phones and it is an issue we are now investigating," he said. "It is not just occurring in the Corporate Area but also in areas such as May Pen and Clarendon."
CHEAP, CHEAP
The Gleaner received reports that stolen phones can be bought for as little as $1,000 and SIM (subscriber identification module) cards for $400. The SIM card is the electronic chip that slots into the back of your cellular phone. The SIM controls your phone number and the network it works on.
Harry Smith, marketing director at Digicel, urged cellular phone users, "to be careful in public with the phones," and said that in case of theft, to remember, "the villain is the thief and not the phone."
Mr. Smith advised buyers to purchase phones that can be blocked from use, so that only the original SIM card may be used.
BLOCK THE PHONE
Should your phone be lost or stolen, you can call your service provider (Digicel and Cable & Wireless) and inform them of the code. They will be able to block the phone from being used.
The MiPhone network offers a different security mechanism, according, to Helen Allison-Minott, public relations specialist at the company. Using code division multiple access technology, MiPhone operates without SIM cards and therefore
the phones cannot be interchanged.
She advises that when a handset is lost or stolen, owners should call MiPhone, and the company can automatically block the phone from use.
