Home Office turns to Apple and Sony to help fight crime

UK government wants them to build in more security features

30 April 2007 11:03 GMT / By Stuart Miles

With more of us carrying around gadgets in our pockets; mobile phones, MP3 players, laptops, and digital cameras to name a few, Home Secretary John Reid has announced that he is approaching Apple and Sony to join a summit to help fight crime in the UK.

Reid says he wants mobile phone and MP3 player makers to concentrate as much on anti-crime functions as on other design features.

The news comes on the back of figures released last week that the number of street robberies rose 8% to 26,600 during the final quarter of last year.

"During the coming week we'll be drawing up a list of other manufacturers who will be the best companies to include for the summit", a spokesman for the Home Office said.

"New technology, lifestyle changes, new commodities and new gadgets mean that the criminals continually move on", Reid told the BBC's Sunday AM programme.

"So when we defeat them on mobile phones, they move on to Sat-Navs and then on to iPods."