News
Police Advise Residents To Log Their Gifts
03 Jan 2015 09:45:15
Police are urging people to get their new gifts logged to keep them out of the hands of thieves.
The Northumberland Gazette has reported that Northumbria Police are advising residents to get new bikes, phones, electricals, tools and other valuables registered with free property logging website Immobilise.com
And those who received iPads, iPhones and other similar smartphones and tablets for Christmas are urged to activate built-in GPS systems and download apps which help locate stolen property.
The immediate crime prevention activity will mean if new property is stolen and later recovered it can be returned to the rightful owner, as well as potentially catching criminals in possession of stolen goods.
The advice is part of Operation Soundwave – a campaign aimed at cutting volume crime and tackling opportunist thieves – which is ongoing over the festive season.
Immobilise is the world’s largest register of property where members of the public can log their valuables – anything such as mobile phones, bikes, tools, electricals and gardening equipment. It’s free to register and takes just a few minutes to sign up.
Ownership details can be viewed by police across the country on the National Mobile Property Register (NMPR), which allows officers to check a recovered item and instantly find the owner.
Northumbria Police Superintendent Mick Paterson said:
Many people will have received devices such as iPhones, games consoles and laptops for Christmas and I’m sure crime prevention is not something which is at the forefront of people’s mind when they have just received gifts and are enjoying festivities.
But I’d like to remind people that it’s important to take a few moments to take a note of the serial number and register with immobilise where an image can be uploaded and the serial number recorded.
It means if it is stolen and recovered, it can be returned to the rightful owner as well as ensuring those found in possession of it can be dealt with, potentially preventing further crime.
The more people that register with immobilise, the easier it is to return stolen property and the more difficult it is for criminals to profit from their crimes.
Gadget-lovers are also being urged to make the most of tracking technology to stay one step ahead of thieves.
Supt Paterson added:
We of course would urge everyone to protect their property from thieves in the first place, such as making sure phones are secured in zip pockets or handbags, not leaving items lying around on pub or cafe tables and never leaving electronic items on show in a vehicle.
However, if such equipment is stolen, taking this simple step can make the difference between losing the item forever or having it tracked, located and seized by police.
Modern technology has its place alongside the more traditional police work and we’ll continue to combine all investigative techniques to cut crime across Northumbria and stop thieves in their tracks.
For more crime prevention information visit http://www.northumbria.police.uk/crimeprevention, while people are urged to sign up to free property register Immobilise at www.immobilise.com
It’s also vital residents report anything suspicious to police straight away so they can investigate. Police can be called on 101, or to report a crime ongoing dial 999.
Carmarthenshire Police And Retailers Use Immobilise To Combat Property Theft
21 Nov 2014 14:51:40
Carmarthenshire Police Neighbourhood Development Team and Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership are working together with retailers to get electrical items purchased in stores uploaded onto www.immobilise.com at the point of purchase.
Starting on Wednesday December 3rd, retailers will give customers the opportunity to register their new electrical and valuable items recorded and uploaded onto the national property registration site for FREE.
Registration forms for www.immobilise.com accounts will be completed within the store with customers before being put online by Dyfed Powys Police officers. Once registered with an account the owners will then have the opportunity to add further property onto that account.
The online Immobilise property registration system used by all UK police forces via the NMPR, and second hand traders via CheckMEND to check whether property that is recovered or offered for sale they come in contact with is stolen. If so it allows them to return it to the owners and also assists in bringing offenders to justice who are in possession of the property.
The scheme is being rolled out to tackle the issue of victims not being able to provide full details of their property when it is lost or stolen. In addition it is hoped it will assist the police in bring those responsible for stealing property and handling the property to justice.
PS78 Moore said:
Over the past few years we have adopted a very successful partnership with Carmarthenshire Community Safety and attended community events encouraging members of the public to take measures registering and securing their property. This has been reasonably successful, but by registering the property at the point of purchase it is hoped that even more people will benefit being signed up to www.immobilise.com.
We have currently rolled this initiative out for Cycles with Halfords in Llanelli and Carmarthen and are confident our decision to expand the initiative to the other retailers will benefit all in our commitment to prevent crime.
Links:
http://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk
Police And Asda Work Together To Get Shoppers Property Registered On Immobilise
31 Aug 2014 19:00:20
Humberside Police are working in partnership with ASDA at Mount Pleasant Retail Park to get electrical items purchased in the store uploaded onto www.immobilise.com at the point of purchase.
Starting Sunday 31 August 2014, the store will give customers the opportunity to register their new electrical and valuable items recorded and uploaded onto the national property registration site for FREE.
Registration forms for www.immobilise.com accounts will be completed within the store with customers before being put online by Humberside Police volunteers. Once registered with an account the owners will then have the opportunity to add further property onto that account.
Immobilise is an online property registration system used by all UK police forces and second hand dealers to check whether property that is recovered or offered for sale they come in contact with is stolen. If so it allows them to return it to the owners and also assists in bringing offenders to justice who are in possession of the property.
The scheme is being rolled out to tackle the issue of victims not being able to provide full details of their property when it is lost or stolen. In addition it is hoped it will assist the police in bring those responsible for stealing property and handling the property to justice.
PCSO Chris Wright said:
Over the past few years police have attended community events and other engagement opportunities to encourage members of the public to register all their property on the site. This has been reasonably successful, but by registering the property at the point of purchase it is hoped that even more people will benefit being signed up to www.immobilise.com.
I am delighted that ASDA have agreed to offer this service and builds on the strong links we have the stores in this area. They were quick to get involved with Operation Sodium to assist the force in tackling retail crime and their support in hosting a wide range of crime prevention events in stores.
If the immobilise registration proves a success in ASDA I hope other retailers will follow suit and look at the possibility of offering a similar service to their customers.
A similar initiative was rolled out via Cycle shops in Hull in April and to date over 1000’s new cycles have been registered onto www.immobilise.com.
To read the source story please go to: http://www.humberside.police.uk/newsmedia/hull-police-and-asda-work-together-to-get-shoppers-property-on-immobilise