Keep you and your mobile phone safe at all times.
- Try not to make non-urgent calls in crowded, busy places. Be particularly careful about using your phone at street crime hotspots such as bus or train stations.
- Pre-programme the number of a reputable taxi firm into your phone. When travelling home after a Christmas party, order a taxi from inside the venue and ensure that it calls you when it arrives, so that you do not have to wait for it alone.
- Use a licensed black cab or a reputable taxi firm. Do not take an unregistered minicab and do not accept a lift home from a stranger.
- Try to make sure someone knows where you have gone and when to expect you home. If you don’t want to let anyone know where you are going to be, you can use Safetytext to alert people should you not return at a prearranged time. Safetytext is a service that allows you to programme your phone to send a text message with details of where you are in the event that you don’t return home when you planned to. For further details please visit www.safetytext.com.
- Don’t leave your phone on tables in pubs or restaurants and whenever possible, keep your mobile out of sight in your pocket, jacket or bag and use a hands-free earpiece to help prevent opportunist thieves snatching it from your hand.
- Register your phone with your operator, and make a note of your IMEI number (which can be found by keying in *#06#). If your phone is lost or stolen, both the SIM card and handset can be barred across all networks. Contact your service provider immediately.
- Don’t use your phone while driving, but instead let your voicemail take any messages while on the road.
- Always make sure your phone is charged before you go out so you can make a call; you might need it in an emergency. It is free to make a 999 call from a mobile phone.
