Great piece. I'm most struck by the outsize effect that nabbing one bloke had on the crime rates. Did you get the impression that it was a relatively small group of people, who may even be known to the police? Or did it seem like the individual person matters less cos they're a front for the gangs running the phones?
Standing on my soapbox in the comment section to implore people to do small things to protect their data in advance should they fall victim to phone theft (my instructions will be iPhone-specific but I'm sure there are comparable Android functions that could be found with a light google):
[1] Make nothing accessible from your Lock Screen when locked! [Settings > Face ID & Passcode > scroll down to 'Allow access when locked' and turn everything off, but esp. Control Center] If a thief can't access the control panel without a password, then they can't turn your phone on Airplane mode, which means you have time to get back to your laptop and put the iPhone on lost/stolen mode.
[2] If, either by snatching your phone when it's unlocked or otherwise unlocking it, they will try to change your phone password so they have master control. Change your setting so that any password change requires an hour's delay! [Settings > Face ID & Passcode > scroll down to 'Stolen Device Protection' and turn On]. (Again, the goal being: get time to get to your laptop and put it in lost device mode)
Admittedly both things make some day-to-day actions slightly more tedious. But if you have insurance, losing the hardware is survivable. What you don't want is them getting into your bank accounts or e-mail or locking you out of your phone before you have the chance to protect your data.
For Android phones, Google has advice here on protecting your digital life from phone thefts. Theft Detection Lock, in particular, will lock your phone if the phone detects what it thinks is a theft (a snatch and moving at high speed). Many anti theft features are off by default and need turning on manually. https://support.google.com/android/answer/15146908?hl=en-GB
Why the MET does not accept that they underresourced and instead are acting so hostile to the public? Why they seem to act as if the victims of crimes are their issue and that is why we cannot have, for example, jazz clubs?
How come a guy can be so powerful to dodge PARAMOUNT? Is he our own Musk?
And though we don't have the full story, that woman who complains about the pub raises all the red flags to me.
Interesting article! You might have also suggested that one way to protect your valuable mobile asset would be not to wave it around in front of you as you stroll down Shaftesbury Avenue!
It got quietly cancelled amid blowback from the Ukraine invasion. I believe the expectation in the ES office is that it comes back for the 70th anniversary this year.
Thrilled to share this story with you all alongside a headline containing the words "illegal Forrest Gump shrimp restaurant."
Great piece. I'm most struck by the outsize effect that nabbing one bloke had on the crime rates. Did you get the impression that it was a relatively small group of people, who may even be known to the police? Or did it seem like the individual person matters less cos they're a front for the gangs running the phones?
Standing on my soapbox in the comment section to implore people to do small things to protect their data in advance should they fall victim to phone theft (my instructions will be iPhone-specific but I'm sure there are comparable Android functions that could be found with a light google):
[1] Make nothing accessible from your Lock Screen when locked! [Settings > Face ID & Passcode > scroll down to 'Allow access when locked' and turn everything off, but esp. Control Center] If a thief can't access the control panel without a password, then they can't turn your phone on Airplane mode, which means you have time to get back to your laptop and put the iPhone on lost/stolen mode.
[2] If, either by snatching your phone when it's unlocked or otherwise unlocking it, they will try to change your phone password so they have master control. Change your setting so that any password change requires an hour's delay! [Settings > Face ID & Passcode > scroll down to 'Stolen Device Protection' and turn On]. (Again, the goal being: get time to get to your laptop and put it in lost device mode)
Admittedly both things make some day-to-day actions slightly more tedious. But if you have insurance, losing the hardware is survivable. What you don't want is them getting into your bank accounts or e-mail or locking you out of your phone before you have the chance to protect your data.
For Android phones, Google has advice here on protecting your digital life from phone thefts. Theft Detection Lock, in particular, will lock your phone if the phone detects what it thinks is a theft (a snatch and moving at high speed). Many anti theft features are off by default and need turning on manually. https://support.google.com/android/answer/15146908?hl=en-GB
Thank you for your reporting on Aziz, no one else seems to be doing this important work
As usual there is so much to take here...
Why the MET does not accept that they underresourced and instead are acting so hostile to the public? Why they seem to act as if the victims of crimes are their issue and that is why we cannot have, for example, jazz clubs?
How come a guy can be so powerful to dodge PARAMOUNT? Is he our own Musk?
And though we don't have the full story, that woman who complains about the pub raises all the red flags to me.
Interesting article! You might have also suggested that one way to protect your valuable mobile asset would be not to wave it around in front of you as you stroll down Shaftesbury Avenue!
Speaking of London/Evening Standard, mysterious disappearance of their theatre award which is actually older then Olivier award caught my eye (by this BS post https://bsky.app/profile/mrlukowski.bsky.social/post/3ljl3ljk2bk2a)
It got quietly cancelled amid blowback from the Ukraine invasion. I believe the expectation in the ES office is that it comes back for the 70th anniversary this year.