Desperate police officers swamped by a tide of mobile phone thefts are begging parents not to buy phones for their children this Christmas.
Hounslow's police community liaison officer, Chief Inspector Wynne Jones, is discouraging parents buying mobile phones for their kids after revealing that 278 youngsters were attacked for their cellulars in the past six months.
He said: "My message to parents is that they consider very carefully the reasons for buying a mobile phone for children as young as nine. I know they see it as a wise security measure but the reality is that they could be putting their kids at risk. In the past six months 25 per cent of all street crime in Hounslow has involved the theft of mobile phones."
Officers will also be visiting schools to deliver cautions in an attempt to protect existing young mobile owners.
November 15, 2001 13:30
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