THE number is up for mobile phone thieves in Radcliffe.

Police have teamed up with the mobile phone industry to unveil a countywide "Immobilise Phone Crime' initiative to clamp down on handset thieves.

Spearheaded by leading mobile phone retailers, Carphone Warehouse and The Link, the initiative involves a massive £100,000 advertising campaign which spreads the message: "Stolen Phones Don't Work Any More"

All UK mobile phone networks now share information on a single database and once reported stolen or lost, mobile phones can be automatically blocked across all UK networks, making them useless even if the SIM card has been changed.

Since the database was launched in November, one million mobile phones have been reported lost or stolen and have been blocked across all UK networks.

A new central phone line, 08701 123 123, has also been set up to report lost and stolen handsets.

The Immobilise campaign is supported by new legislation which enables the police to arrest criminals fuelling the trade in stolen mobile phones, with penalties of up to five years in prison for those convicted of reprogramming mobile phones.

Assistant Chief Constable David Whatton has welcomed the new high profile advertising campaign. He said: "The introduction of this new initiative plays a vital role in helping us achieve our top priority -- reducing street crime in Greater Manchester.

"We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work in partnership with the mobile phone industry as the theft of mobile phones has become increasingly more common over the last few years. By working together and removing the incentive for theft, we hope to rid the streets of mobile phone crimes."

As part of the campaign the majority of mobile phone retailers will be putting up stickers, posters and leaflets in their stores urging victims of mobile phone crime to report their loss and to help stop stolen mobiles being sold on.