The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Director Mohamed Amin, has revealed different techniques the investigative agencies use to track and recover stolen phones.
Speaking on Citizen TV, on the night of September 15, Amin said investigative agencies have recovered numerous phones by using various techniques to track down the lawbreakers involved in phone theft.
Amin explained that one of the most effective techniques they use is the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
“When it comes to the recovery of phones, we use several techniques to enable us to recover stolen phones. One is to establish the IMEI numbers and whether that handset has been used for the commission of other offences,” Amin stated.
He added that there are other methods that the agencies use other than IMEI, stating that it will not be disclosed to the public for security reasons.
“We use other techniques, for lack of a better word, which we will not be able to disclose to the public, but the IMEI is one of the techniques we use among many in terms of recovery of the stolen phones,” Amin stated.
IMEI is a unique 15-digit number used to monitor phone activities across all networks, mostly when a new SIM is inserted.
It also helps the investigative agencies to track a stolen device even if the SIM is replaced and tracks a new SIM card.
The investigative agencies, however, collaborate with mobile service providers to access data and track the phone's location through cell tower interactions.
Amin explained that while the DCI uses the tracking tools, the agencies respect and value the constitutional privacy rights.
“We ensure that we observe all the legal protocols so that we are not seen to be invading people’s privacy,” he added.
In the past year, police recovered over 574 suspected stolen phones in Nairobi alone, suggesting a much larger number are stolen and not recovered.
Recent reports indicate that a mobile phone is reported stolen every 10 minutes in Nairobi, however, police have increased their patrols to stem the theft that emerged last month.
