Guatemala Is Cracking Down On Cell Phone Thieves

In most countries, stealing a cell phone is prosecuted as petty theft. In Guatemala, this kind of theft has grown into a “national emergency”.  Cell phone theft is often violent, resulting in grave bodily harm and even death.

Guatemala is a country with around 15 million residents and a phone theft of 12,000 everymonth. According to the Superintendency of Telecommunications, a staggering 142,745 cell phones were stolen in 2012, representing an increase of 40% compared to the previous year 2011. It means that every 4 minutes, a person is robbed of his/her cell phone.

Guatemala decided to tackle the problem. Recently, the Congress passed a law making cell phone theft punishable with stiff prison sentences of up to 15 years and fines up to $ 31,250). Furthermore, the passed law also creates a national register of devices used in the country.

According to the new law, cell phone theft:

• Carries penalties of between 5 to 10 years in prison for thieves- without possibility of parole
• Carries fines of 40,000 to 100,000 quetzals ($5,000 to $12,500) for people who purchase phones from questionable sources
• Carries prison sentences of 6 to 10 years for persons selling cell phones illegally
• Carries fines of 100,000 to 250,000 quetzals ($12,500 and $31,250) for individuals selling phones illegally

Furthermore, the use of cell phones in prison, by inmates or employees will also be punishable under the new law.

We can only applaud Guatemala on its initiative!

(Image: Courtesy of Corporate Travel Safety)