The next versions of Android and Microsoft phones will incorporate a kill switch to deter theft.

New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, and San Francisco District Attorney, George Gascón, made the announcement Thursday, as part of a new report issued by the Secure Our Smartphones (“S.O.S.”) Initiative, an international partnership of law-enforcement agencies, elected officials and consumer advocates. The report suggests that the “kill switch” capability in phones is a major deterrent to smartphone theft.

“With these additional features, we’re hopeful that technology -– as part of a broader strategy -– can help to further reduce incentives for criminals to steal smartphones in the first place,” said Microsoft’s Vice President for U.S. Government Affairs, Fred Humphries, in a blog post.

The S.O.S. Initiative report found that thefts of iPhones in some U.S. cities “plummeted” following Apple’s release of a kill switch in September. According to statistics from the report released by Schneiderman’s office, robberies involving Apple products in New York dropped 19 percent in the first five months of 2014 compared with the same period last year. Additionally, in San Francisco and London, robberies involving Apple products dropped 38 percent and 24 percent, respectively.

“We can make the violent epidemic of smartphone theft a thing of the past, and these numbers prove that,” said District Attorney Gascón in a news release. “This past year we successfully held the wireless industry’s feet to the fire and it’s already having an impact for consumers. In the year ahead we will work to ensure this technology is deployed industry-wide, and in the most effective manner possible.”