Mikey Campbell
A crime statistics report released by the New York Police Department this week revealed there were 11,447 recorded thefts of Apple products between Jan. 1 and Sept. 23, a 40 percent increase from last year that represents 14.4 percent of all other major crimes.
The spike in Apple-related theft outpaced other crimes, including murder, rape and robbery, which at 79,335 incidents grew four percent during the same period, reports PC Mag.
"The increase in incidents involving the theft of Apple products exceeded the increase in overall crime incidents of crime by 265," an NYPD spokesman said. "As if to mirror the market place, thefts of Apple products increased this year as the theft of electronics by other manufacturers decreased."
As of September, incidents involving Apple products represented 204 of the 1 percent rise in bruglaries, 160 percent of the 4 percent bump in robberies and 69 percent of the 9 percent increase in grand larcenies overall.
To stem the rising tide of Apple gadget theft, the NYPD instituted the "Anti-Apple Picking Campaign" alongside Friday's launch of the iPhone 5. Part of the police force's free device registering service, dubbed Operation ID, the program is aimed to help retrieve valuable electronic items by recording a product's serial number and corresponding owner information. As an option, the device can be marked with a unique serial number for easy identification in case the unit is lost or stolen.
In a post to the NYPD's Facebook page, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said, "The theft of Apple phones and other hand-held devices drove the spike in robberies and larceny this year. Individuals alert to their surroundings are less likely to become victims, and Operation ID will help those whose property is lost or stolen to get it back."
Stephen Silver
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
25 Comments
I mentioned this a while ago in a thread or two. Apple device theft is off the charts!
Some people are just ignorant, and they pay no attention to their surroundings at all. These sorts of people are more likely to end up as crime victims than other people who are smarter and more careful.
Would you pull out a fat wad of cash and flash it around on a NYC subway car at 2 AM, filled with random homeless people, sleazy people and other sorts of degenerates? Well, that's basically what you're doing when you pull out your iPhone or other Apple device.
[quote name="Apple ][" url="/t/152889/rate-of-apple-product-theft-rising-in-new-york-city-accounts-for-over-14-of-all-major-crime#post_2198332"]I mentioned this a while ago in a thread or two. Apple device theft is off the charts! Some people are just ignorant, and they pay no attention to their surroundings at all. These sorts of people are more likely to end up as crime victims than other people who are smarter and more careful. Would you pull out a fat wad of cash and flash it around on a NYC subway car at 2 AM, filled with random homeless people, sleazy people and other sorts of degenerates? Well, that's basically what you're doing when you pull out your iPhone or other Apple device. [/quote] I actually got an email from someone last week debating on getting an iPhone, Lumia, some Android phone to replace his BB. One of the reasons he listed for not wanting an iPhone "not as much as a target for theft/mugging."
[quote name="SolipsismX" url="/t/152889/rate-of-apple-product-theft-rising-in-new-york-city-accounts-for-over-14-of-all-major-crime#post_2198334"] I actually got an email from someone last week debating on getting an iPhone, Lumia, some Android phone to replace his BB. One of the reasons he listed for not wanting an iPhone "not as much as a target for theft/mugging."[/quote] I'd like to see statistical comparisons with other cities with similar population densities. It made me look up Apple device crime in Texas. Would the mugger think twice if he/she/it knew that iCHL is one of the installed apps?
Statistically speaking, that person is correct. If I lived in the middle of a ghetto or a really slummy, high crime area, then I probably wouldn't want to walk around with an iPhone either.
Apple users who love their Apple devices and have extra cash, could always just buy some spare Android phone for those times when they will be in high risk areas, that should keep them safe.
[quote name="SolipsismX" url="/t/152889/rate-of-apple-product-theft-rising-in-new-york-city-accounts-for-over-14-of-all-major-crime#post_2198334"] I actually got an email from someone last week debating on getting an iPhone, Lumia, some Android phone to replace his BB. One of the reasons he listed for not wanting an iPhone "not as much as a target for theft/mugging."[/quote] Don't live in NYC. Problem solved.