British police have begun a campaign to clamp down on increasing mobile phone theft.
Crime statistics showed that in half of all street robberies in London a mobile phone is stolen and the most likely victims are 14- to 17-year-olds, police said today.
"We are aiming this campaign at schoolchildren and young people who are often the victims of street robberies involving mobile phones, Supt Archie Torrance of Westminster Police said in a statement.
School liaison officers will visit all secondary schools in London from today to mark mobile phones with the owner's postcode in invisible ink and offer children advice on how to prevent their phones being used after they are stolen.
Eye-catching posters using mobile phone text language will also be distributed in schools to encourage pupils to be more vigilant.
One of the messages will be: Lokit, Mrkit, Kepit, UsitDntL0sit (Lock it, Mark it, Keep it, Use it-Don't-Lose it).
Police said that recording a phone's unique IMEI number would help to prove it had been stolen and have it returned to its rightful owner. The IMEI number can be displayed by pushing STAR, HASH, ZERO, SIX, HASH.