Nearly half of all mobile phones stolen in 2005 were made by Nokia, a new survey has found.

The study, by the Midlands Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice at Loughborough University, used data from 100,000 reported phone thefts in London to compile the top 10 list.

The Nokia 6230 was the most stolen phone during December 2005, followed by the Motorola Razr, the Samsung D500 and the Sony Ericsson K750i.

The study was inspired by the Home Office's Car Crime Index, which highlighted which cars were least secure, prompting manufacturers to improve anti-theft measures.

“Mobile phone theft has been increasing when many types of crime have been falling for years," said Jen Mailley, lead author on the study.

“The top 10 charts are a step in the right direction though,” said Mailley, “because they empower consumers with information, which should stimulate anti-crime design efforts by the mobile phone industry.”

Mobile phone networks recently pledged to block stolen phones within 48 hours, rendering  the handsets useless.