Updated 08 January 2002, 07.27

			Fact File
	Phone safety tips
		Avoid using your phone in the street
		Keep your phone out of sight
		Use PIN codes to lock your phone
		Turn off the ringer
		Don't walk and txt
		Record the phone's unique IMEI number

A spokesman from the Home Office, which collects the figures, said:

"A substantial chunk of the crimes are instances of playground bullying, with kids stealing from other kids in school or just outside the school gates."

The government wants phone makers to make it much harder to reuse mobiles once a theft's been reported but it's hard to persuade them.