The New York City Police Department released a report which states that the theft of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) devices accounts for 14.4% of New York’s major criminal activity. The numbers are astounding, as PCMag points out that there were 11,447 recorded thefts, all involving Apple devices, between January 1st and September 23rd of this year.
This rise in criminal activity has easily risen much faster than any other source of crime in the city. The report from PCMag says that rape, murder, and other burglaries accounted for 79,335 isolated events, but the rate only grew by 4% during this same period.
A New York Police Department spokesman said, “The increase in incidents involving the theft of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) products exceeded the increase in overall crime incidents of crime by 265. As if to mirror the market place, thefts of Apple products increased this year as the theft of electronics by other manufacturers decreased.”
September being the end of the time covered in the report, the numbers year to date are amazingly high. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) related incidents accounted for 204% in the 1% rise in burglaries, 160% of the 4% increase in burglaries, and 69% of the 9% increase in Grand Larceny cases.
This past Friday, the NYPD launched their own Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) related campaign, alongside of Apple’s iPhone 5 debut in stores. The “Anti Apple Picking Campaign“, as it was dubbed, is part of the police department’s free device registration service. The program is designed to aid in the retrieval of electronic devices, and it helps do so by recording the devices serial number, along with the owner’s personal information. The device may also be marked with a unique serial number, if the user so chooses, for easier identification if the device were lost or stolen.
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly posted on the NYPD’s official Facebook page, and said,”The theft of Apple phones and other hand-held devices drove the spike in robberies and larceny this year. Individuals alert to their surroundings are less likely to become victims, and Operation ID will help those whose property is lost or stolen to get it back.”
It’s amazing how much draw these devices have both to honest customers and thieves alike. We reported that only hours prior to stores opening in Japan, on the day of the iPhone 5’s debut, more than $100,000 worth of the new devices were stolen from several stores in the country. It seems that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) devices hold not only a strong market share, but also a strong attraction to the black market as well.
