About the Immobilise System
Immobilise is the world's largest FREE register of possession ownership details and has been helping to reduce crime and reunite recovered property with its rightful owners for over two decades.
Immobilise can be used by members of the public and businesses to register their valued possessions or company assets. All registered items and ownership details are then viewable by police on the national property database the NMPR; this is a benefit unique to Immobilise users.
This online checking service is used thousands of times each day by UK police forces to trace owners of lost and stolen property. It also assists the police in investigating criminal activity involving stolen goods.
Immobilise is the only ownership registration service supported by all UK police forces, the Greater London Authority, and the mobile phone industry.
Quick Links
- Immobilise benefits
- History
- Is my information safe on Immobilise?
- Why do the police support Immobilise?
- Need help registering an item?
- What is Immobilise's sister service CheckMEND?
- How is Immobilise so popular? I'd not heard of it until now!
- How is Immobilise funded?
- Keep up to date with Immobilise News
Immobilise user benefits explained
The Immobilise Property Register is part of the Recipero Crime Reduction Ecosystem. You can learn more about how Recipero's systems combat property crime on the main Recipero website. The infographic below highlights how Immobilise benefits users and interacts with the other parts of the ecosystem.
History
The Immobilise system was set up in 2003 and since inception, has had the support of the police, mobile phone industry and central government. With their support - and that of numerous other organisations - the Immobilise service has grown to hold details of over 34 million items of property.
Is my information safe on Immobilise?
Yes, your information is safe on Immobilise. The platform takes security and privacy very seriously, implementing industry-standard measures to protect your data. Immobilise is accredited by Secured by Design (the official police security certification scheme), LPCB Loss Prevention Standards and certified to ISO 27001, ensuring the highest levels of protection. The database features multiple layers of security to prevent unauthorised access or data breaches, with ongoing testing and annual compliance checks to maintain its accreditation.
Why do the police support Immobilise?
For the police, the free Immobilise property registration service is a very powerful tool in the fight against crime. Immobilise, along with many other information sources, is linked directly to the police system, the NMPR. The system allows officers to search the serial numbers of recovered goods or suspected stolen property and then take action accordingly.
The power of the combined Immobilise/NMPR system is best demonstrated by way of an example:
A police patrol identify an individual acting suspiciously near a car park often targeted by thieves. They perform a stop and search on the individual and find the suspect to be carrying several mobile devices and a laptop. They radio through the serial numbers of the devices to their control room for the numbers to be searched on the NMPR.
The results come back instantly; two of the phones were reported as stolen via Immobilise only a few hours earlier. The suspect is arrested and taken to the station for interview. The possession of the stolen phones gives reasonable grounds for the police to search the suspect's home where they find numerous items, which again are checked on the NMPR.
The searches reveal several more items that are associated with crimes, one of which involved a serious assault, providing the team investigating the assault with a fresh lead to pursue.
The above example is purely fictitious but is typical of the way in which registering property on Immobilise can quickly lead to results for the police, thus helping to reduce the attractiveness of property crime.
To learn more about the NMPR please go to: thenmpr.com
Registration help
If you need help registering an item of property, we've created a range of step-by-step guides:
What is Immobilise's sister service CheckMEND?
The CheckMEND database holds over 150 billion records of property, providing relevant and comprehensive information to purchasers of used goods. The information that CheckMEND searches against is updated in real-time every few minutes by law enforcement, insurers, industry bodies and the public in over 40 countries.
It is the de facto due-diligence system used by the UK's phone recycling industry to help protect them from accepting or handling stolen goods. It also helps them to achieve compliance with the government's Recycler Code of Practice.
CheckMEND, as recommended by eBay (Buying & Selling Mobile Phones Safely on eBay), is also used by consumers globally who wish to check that goods such as mobile devices, tablets and computers, etc. are not stolen, counterfeit or blocked.
From a seller's perspective, CheckMEND can help in the sale of an item as each check comes with an official CheckMEND report. This can be provided to any potential buyer as proof that the item is legitimate and in many cases, helps to achieve a better price for the item.
To learn more or run a check, please go to: checkmend.com
How is Immobilise so popular? I'd not heard of it until now!
Although Immobilise has been in operation for over two decades, the free nature of the service means advertising budgets have been all but non-existent.
However, the ongoing support of police and other organisations who hold marking/registration events, plus the efforts of retailers offering free registration at the point of sale, have helped to make Immobilise the largest service of its kind in the world.
How is Immobilise funded?
Immobilise is provided to users free of charge. The property registration service is operated by Recipero, who also offer several other services including police systems such as the NMPR and the loss reporting system Report My Loss.
Immobilise receives no central funding, but is primarily supported by revenue derived from sales of marking products that are available via the online shop and several retail outlets. To avoid doubt we wish to emphasise that Recipero, the provider of Immobilise, does not sell or rent your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes. Please read our privacy policy for more detail. Any queries regarding the service or data should be directed to our support team.
Connect with Immobilise
If you love it, register it
“By registering their valuables on www.immobilise.com owners can put details of their prized possessions on a national database that police can access and compare against items that have been found or recovered from suspected criminals.”
“The online service is totally free and is quick and easy to use. Items marked as being registered with Immobilise are less likely to be stolen, and households displaying Immobilise stickers are less likely to be targeted by burglars.”
£250K New Home Office funding to tackle mobile phone crime
“Linking the National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR) to the Police National Computer (PNC) will also provide enormous benefits to the fight against mobile phone crime. Currently an average of 25% of searches result in the police obtaining vital information that could result in property being retrieved and cases being solved. I believe that putting this invaluable tool at front-line officer's fingertips will see that number rise further.”
“Last year 835 mobile phones were reported stolen in the district. Registering mobile phones on the Immobilise's website should have an impact in reducing this figure, particularly where phones have been stolen, as the phone can very quickly be blocked on the UK network, rendering it useless to the thief.”
Keep up to date with Immobilise news
To keep up to date with news from Immobilise, including crime prevention advice, details of marking events, special police campaigns and other important news, please follow us: