Decree creates national bank for stolen, stolen or lost cell phones and reinforces device recovery strategy
The president (PT) launched this Tuesday (June 23, 2026) the new phase of the National Safe Cellular Program, which transforms the initiative into a permanent public policy and focuses on combating the reception market. The event was held at the Guarulhos Air Base, in São Paulo.
In the initial phase, the program focused on protecting the victim, blocking the device after recording the incident. Now, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security seeks to recover stolen or stolen cell phones and reduce the circulation of these devices on the illegal market.
Lula also signed a decree formally establishing the BNCR (National Bank of Restricted Cell Phones), a platform coordinated by Senasp (National Public Security Secretariat) that gathers information on stolen, stolen or lost devices in Brazil. “It is important to dream that we do something to definitively put an end to cell phone theft in Brazil”these.
According to Minister Wellington César Lima e Silva, the institution of the policy has the effect of reducing violence in large cities. “As we have fewer cell phones available to sell, the entire criminal chain changes and this incentive reduces the practice of crime”he states.
The BNCR will gather information from the Safe Cellular Program, incident records from the Civil Police of all States, telephone operators, national public security systems, Cemi (Register of Impeded Mobile Stations) from Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) and ABR Telecom.
To date, the database, with information from 2020 to 2026, already has 3.3 million cell phones with Imei (International Mobile Equipment Identity) registered. Of these, 272 thousand were recovered.
Here are the changes to the program:
- Recovery Mode: The stolen or stolen device is not blocked immediately. When a new phone line is enabled on the device, the system will identify usage and begin the recovery flow. With the integration between public bases and telephone operators, the government will be able to locate devices that have been reported stolen in use and send notifications for voluntary return to the police authorities;
- creation of a public prior consultation tool: before purchasing a cell phone, the buyer can check whether the device has a restriction registration. The query is made using the Imei number.
With registration, the stolen cell phone begins to become unusable, blocking access to platforms such as and banks.
The recovery of the devices will be the responsibility of the Civil Police of the States, from the Susp (Single Public Security System). The new phase technology has already been adopted in Piauí, Amazonas, Bahia and Ceará.
WHO BUYS A STOLEN CELLPHONE
At the event, President Lula stated that citizens who purchase a stolen cell phone do not need to have “fear” to look for a police station to return the device. Declared: “You won’t be arrested. It’s just to return the cell phone. If you know where you bought it, even better: it will help fight a criminal organization”.
During a speech at the 7th plenary of the CDESS (Council for Economic, Social and Sustainable Development) Lula had already announced that the . He stated that the devices could be delivered to the Post Office, as “At police stations, people don’t know which police officer they’re going to meet.”
By his speech, the president was . Sindesp ((Union of Police Delegates of the State of São Paulo), for example, declared that delegates and civil police officers play a fundamental role in criminal investigation, in the recovery of stolen assets and in the protection of society.
