Increased incidents of phone snatching and thievery in key cities of London, New York and San Francisco prompted the cities' officials to pressure Apple to create a "kill switch".

Crime rates in these cities have dramatically declined, but incidents of "Apple picking" increased, according to police records. Scotland Yard stated that these types of crimes rose by 15% within the pasy year.

Almost 10,000 phones each month were "Apple picked" by thieves in London alone. In New York, police said that "Apple picking" is the fastest growing crime in the city. They also said that 113 smartphones or Apple products are being snatched or lost every minute across the United States.

The Mayor or London, Boris Johnson, wrote to the offices of smartphone makers such as Apple, Nokia, Samsung, and many others to push for a "kill switch" - a feature which instantly disables a device when stolen.

"Customers and shareholders surely deserve to know that business cannot and must not benefit directly from smartphone theft through sales of replacement devices," said Johnson in his letter to the companies.