TWO teens have been arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods after police tracked a phone allegedly robbed from an 11-year-old boy to a bedroom in South Croydon.
The 16-year-old and 17-year-old are in custody after police used the smartphone's installed tracking application to trace it to an address in Heathfield Vale.
Police activated the alarm on the phone while at the address this morning (May 8), and it sounded in a bedroom.
The device had allegedly been stolen from the 11-year-old in Wickham Road, Shirley, yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. His parents contacted police.
The teens are in custody at a south London police station. Officers from Croydon CID are investigating.
Detective Chief Inspector Steve Baxter, who leads Croydon's Robbery Squad, encouraged youngsters to install tracking devices on their phones.
He said: "The latest smartphones are particularly desirable among thieves and it is important that you are careful in handling these in public so as not to make yourself a potential target.
"It's also important to keep a good record of your phone's IMEI number and to think about downloading a security and tracking app onto you phone if possible.
"This technology really helps us in tracing stolen phones and will also help to discourage thieves from targeting these devices."
For more crime prevention advice, visit www.met.police.uk/crimeprevention.
