Can the police track your phone?

The police can track a phone by obtaining cell site data from network providers. This data, which is typically retained for a year by network providers, allows the police to conduct cell site analysis to determine the approximate location of your phone throughout the period of the data obtained.

Cell site analysis works by identifying the mobile phone masts your device connected to at different times, helping to map out an estimated location. However, once this data is deleted by the network provider, it cannot be recovered. If the police want to obtain this information, they must request it within the retention period and require legal authorisation. It is important to note that this cell site analysis can provide an approximate location of a phone but cannot pinpoint an exact address or specific location. The accuracy depends on factors such as cell height, technology, network type, and surrounding terrain. A single cell tower can provide coverage ranging from half a kilometre to several kilometres, therefore cell site data can only show that a phone was within a general area, not at a precise location.