POLICE in Radcliffe are urging parents to help reduce the number of mobile phones stolen.

Inspector Steve Clark, head of Radcliffe Township, told Monday night's area board that mobile phones were involved in about 50 per cent of all street robberies.

He said: "This could be reduced if people took down the IMEI number by tapping a few buttons on the keypad. If the phone is stolen, people need to just contact their service provider and cancel the phone, so it cannot be sold."

To find a mobile phone's IMEI number type in *#06#.