Thieves are stealing smart phones at an alarming rate.

New numbers from across the country show smart phone thefts account for one in three robberies.

Tech giants are working to take the incentive out of stealing these costly gadgets.

This week Apple unveiled the Kill Switch that could be used to deactivate your stolen iPhone. They say it is similar to shutting down your credit card.

"With activation lock, if a thief tries to turn off Find My iPhone, or if they even wipe the device entirely, they will not be able to reactivate it because they don't know your iCloud user name and password," said Apple Senior VP Craig Federighi.