I suppose the savvy members will already know of this but I didn't so thought I would share it for others who like me didn't know.
Local officers would like to ask residents and businesses to record the IMEI number from their phone in case it is ever lost or stolen
The unique number is used by a phone network to identify valid devices and therefore can be used for stopping a phone from accessing that network. For example, if a mobile phone is stolen, the owner can call their network provider and instruct them to "blacklist" the phone using its IMEI number. This renders the phone useless on that network and sometimes other networks too, whether or not the phone's SIM is changed.
The IMEI numbers can be found in several ways; sometimes the number may be on the back of the phone, it may be on the battery or in certain models the number will be recorded on the SIM tray. You can also find the IMEI number of the phone if it is still switched on by dialling *#06#.
You can register this number through
www.immobilise.com who will keep your details and can enable the police to trace the owner of any recovered phone.