I LOVE APPLE!!!! Tracked thieves using "Find my iPhone" !!

[ijanebond007]

I'm so glad your wife and friend are ok and that you located the crooks .... Another reason why apple is the best !!!!

 

[bushido]

Not in my experience.

I was burgled and despite this great news story apple were useless in my case. The police were great as five days later my devices all of a sudden were activated and showing. I immediately contacted the burglary team who kept me on the telephone line and went out whilst I was patched in.

They went to the street I directed them too. But unfortunately couldn't exactly pin point the property. I enabled remote access to my machine into the police control room so they could look but it had the same result.

They checked the police national computer for known suspects but there were too many in that area to get a search warrant issued. As the service provided by Apple doesn't show an IP address by default they couldn't get a warrant for a specific address that way either. The apple process to provide such information take a stupid six weeks.

The devices never appeared again during the next three weeks so I remotely wiped them at the next opportunity.

Great story for the OP, really pleased. But also lucky. Unfortunately in my experience I've learned that the police is willing but the apple service is not providing all the required details for them to follow it up without doubt.

They would probably leave you a lovely big bill for the police "services" over here LOL

 

[TJ82]

No chance this would happen in the UK. Lived in every capital city and many major cities all over here and police have never so much as called out for a reported theft. I follow the cycling community more than tech and every day there are stories of thefts where the thief gets discovered but the police don't follow up on it. People have been scamming their own bikes back 😀 People call the police to get a crime number they can use for a claim. That's how much use the police are here for thefts. I'd love to know their solved rate for theft. Bet it's under 1%, yet they love making a splash in the media any time they do actually catch someone.

Anyway, congrats to the OP's partner, but the whole thing sounds like a fantasy to me. FWIW, I worked in youth justice, acting between the police, courts and youth services in London for a few years, and it's clear as day that the police are too busy stop and searching random black guys (seriously!) to be dealing with your stolen goods.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

No chance this would happen in the UK. Lived in every capital city and many major cities all over here and police have never so much as called out for a reported theft. I follow the cycling community more than tech and every day there are stories of thefts where the thief gets discovered but the police don't follow up on it. People have been scamming their own bikes back 😀 People call the police to get a crime number they can use for a claim. That's how much use the police are here for thefts. I'd love to know their solved rate for theft. Bet it's under 1%, yet they love making a splash in the media any time they do actually catch someone.



Anyway, congrats to the OP's partner, but the whole thing sounds like a fantasy to me. FWIW, I worked in youth justice, acting between the police, courts and youth services in London for a few years, and it's clear as day that the police are too busy stop and searching random black guys (seriously!) to be dealing with your stolen goods.

Totally disagree as I've described from first hand experience 😉

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

No chance this would happen in the UK. Lived in every capital city and many major cities all over here and police have never so much as called out for a reported theft. I follow the cycling community more than tech and every day there are stories of thefts where the thief gets discovered but the police don't follow up on it. People have been scamming their own bikes back 😀 People call the police to get a crime number they can use for a claim. That's how much use the police are here for thefts. I'd love to know their solved rate for theft. Bet it's under 1%, yet they love making a splash in the media any time they do actually catch someone.



Anyway, congrats to the OP's partner, but the whole thing sounds like a fantasy to me. FWIW, I worked in youth justice, acting between the police, courts and youth services in London for a few years, and it's clear as day that the police are too busy stop and searching random black guys (seriously!) to be dealing with your stolen goods.

My brother is an officer with Northamptonshire Police and he disagrees with your comment. They may not waste resources if a phone has been stolen from a bag, but if it is stolen in a mugging, it will be investigated. If an iPhone has the ability to be tracked then that will also be investigated. It all depends on the situation and it's wrong to generalise.

 

[Southern Dad]

In Athens, GA someone stole a car. The owner realized that his iPad was in the car. He got on his Find my iPhone app and showed the officers where the iPad was, the vehicle was located a few minutes later. Unfortunately, the thief got away but he got his vehicle and more importantly, iPad back.

 

[TJ82]

Totally disagree as I've described from first hand experience 😉

Yes, indeed. You've had a good experience and now you can't see past your nose.

My brother is an officer with Northamptonshire Police and he disagrees with your comment. They may not waste resources if a phone has been stolen from a bag, but if it is stolen in a mugging, it will be investigated. If an iPhone has the ability to be tracked then that will also be investigated. It all depends on the situation and it's wrong to generalise.

Theft and 'muggings' are two different offenses, the latter involves an assault. Police will also investigate armed burglaries with even greater conviction again. Not sure what your point is there.

And about generalising, yes we of course we can generalise, you'd have to be willfully ignorant to not have Googled solve rates for property crime by now and seen how low it is. Each force has priorities and targets and those dictate the behaviour of officers, amongst other things. FWIW, I have family who worked in Special Branch up until the 80s and they're the sort of people who're straight up honest enough to tell you that theft isn't taken seriously as the resources simply aren't there and the value is usually low enough that the victim can absorb the cost without major detriment.

Again, statistically theft solve rates will prove exactly my points, and arguments to the contrary are ignorance/delusion/dishonesty.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

In the 80s my mobile phone was attached to s luggable battery pack. And your account clearly highlights what was wrong at many levels at that time.

Statistics proof your point. Roflmao oh the irony of that statement. Anyway I was just sharing a real personal experience, not some internet opinion based on family members who worked in the police special branch thirty years ago. Unbelievable, the anger is great with this one.