Wailing phone alarm a winner

A MOBILE phone alarm which emits a high-pitched wail if the handset travels more than ten metres from its owner could stop thieves in their tracks, the Home Office said yesterday.

Every hour 228 mobiles are reported stolen in the UK and the i-migo mobile alarm was one of three designs to win a government-backed challenge aimed at tackling phone crime through technological innovation.

The two other design winners were the Tie, which electronically matches a SIM card with its handset, and TouchSafe which requires a swipe card to make transactions on the phone.

Working prototypes were created for all three designs.

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said: "Overall crime has fallen since 1997 but as new technology creates new opportunities for the user it can also provide criminals with opportunities as well. This is where designing out crime can make a real difference."

The inaugural Mobile Phone Security Challenge is a joint initiative between the Home Office Design and Technology Alliance and the Design Council, with the aim of protecting mobile users from crimes such as mobile phone identity fraud, which rose by more than 70 per cent last year.