Young people living in Middlesbrough have been offered some sound advice by local police. The Middlesbrough police force has teamed up with the Safer Middlesbrough Partnership, as well as Safe in Tees Valley, to provide young people with information about helping to keep their mobile phones safe. Youngsters have been specifically targeted by the police, who have urged them to register their mobile phone with the website, www.immobilise.com. This innovative website allows users to register their mobile phone details, all of which will be stored safely.

It is not just young people living in Middlesbrough who should take heed of this advice. Everyone who receives a mobile phone for Christmas or currently has a model which has not been registered should log on to the website and fill in the appropriate details. Becoming the victim of a mobile phone theft can not only be devastating financially but can also have a nasty emotional impact. Losing a Christmas gift during the first few weeks of the New Year is not a nice fate to suffer and knowing that your phone, which undoubtedly contains personal details and private information, is in the hands of somebody else is a horrible thought.

Detective Chief Inspector Shane Sellers, who works for the police force in Middlesbrough, believes that if everyone registered their device, mobile phone crime figures would decrease significantly. If a phone is stolen and has been registered with the website, it can be blocked very quickly, which makes it useless for the thief. If this becomes a trend, thieves will simply not bother stealing phones.