Owners of smartphones are being urged to record the IMEI number of their phones. 

The number can be found on the back of the inside of the phones and can used to de-activate the device remotely.

The theft of smartphones is on the rise with 15,000 of them reported stolen to gardaí last year.

Chair of the Dublin City Joint Policing Committee, Councillor Gerry Breen, has this advice for anyone who finds themselves in that situation: