KPN, VodafoneZiggo and T-Mobile: all valuable smartphones removed from Dutch stores

The telecom companies KPN, VodafoneZiggo, and T-Mobile have removed all valuable smartphones from their stock in all telephone shops throughout the Netherlands. This is in response to a series of robberies in recent weeks in Amsterdam and the surrounding area, in which armed robbers forced employees in telephone shops to hand over smartphones. The three telecom companies have made this decision because they put the safety and well-being of their employees and customers first. The mental and physical impact of such a robbery on those involved is enormous.

This decision comes in addition to previous measures announced last Thursday, whereby the telecoms companies removed smartphone stock in areas with an increased robbery risk. Previously, the three providers had already adopted a large number of visible and invisible measures to keep the shops secure. In view of the ongoing threat, KPN, VodafoneZiggo, and T-Mobile have now decided to remove the valuable smartphones from stock everywhere. For security reasons, they are not providing any further information about the measures taken.

The telecom companies are very concerned about the situation that has arisen and are doing everything possible to prevent robberies. This involves close cooperation with the police and government agencies. Given the continued threat and the shift in the risk of robbery to other telephone shops, KPN, VodafoneZiggo, and T-Mobile have decided to remove all valuable smartphones from stock everywhere.

Criminals do not limit themselves to robbing telephone shops in shopping centers. For example, on the evening of Friday 29 October, robbers in Amsterdam forced a VodafoneZiggo employee who was on his way home to hand over the keys to the shop and the code to the safe. VodafoneZiggo, in collaboration with the police, immediately took measures to prevent the shop from being robbed. Following the incident, the employee was looked after and is doing well given the circumstances.

Home delivery
Customers can still visit the shops to see and try out secure demonstration versions of smartphones. However, the telecom companies will only deliver valuable smartphones at home. The three telecom companies want to emphasize to criminals that stealing phones does not pay, because all phones can be traced.