A NEW law to deter mobile phone thieves has been welcomed by senior police in County Durham.

The Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act came into force on Saturday which should make all handsets obsolete once the victim has reported their phone lost or stolen to their network operator.

Currently thieves can change the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number contained within each handset to stop operators identifying and disabling the phone and they can then use or sell the phone.

The new act makes it a criminal offence to change or interfere with a handset's IMEI number or supplying equipment for that purpose. The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of £5,000.

By using a new shared database across the industry it will be possible for a mobile phone to be barred across all networks once it is stolen.

Det Chief Supt Ian Scott said: "Mobile phone theft has in the last few years become a major problem, although some measures taken by the industry have helped.

"This is a significant step forward and brings mobile phones into line with bank or credit cards. From now on buying a second-hand phone will almost certainly be a waste of time and money."