Posted by: Neil Stewart in CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, Immobilise, Immobilize, Lost Property, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police, Recipero, ReportMyLoss
 Today July 23rd it was officially agreed that CheckMEND would be the first approved due diligence service to be used and officially endorsed under a new Home Office/recycling industry code of practice.
The signing of the new code of practice by over 90% of the mobile phone recycling industry means that for the first time there are agreed guidelines for the checking of handsets offered for sale to the industry and this includes using the CheckMEND service to check the National Mobile Phone/Property Register.
Adrian Portlock CEO of Recipero the operator of CheckMEND said:
This is a major step forward for the industry and CheckMEND and we are really pleased the industry has recognised their responsibilities in checking products they are buying, this model needs to be extended to all handlers of used goods and retailers taking trade ins and we will be pushing for this to be the case, but this is an excellent start.
For more information please see the following sites:
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Wiltshire Police are encouraging individuals and businesses to register their possesions and assets on the Immobilise National Property Register.
According to a recent new item on the Wiltshire Police website, the thefts of mobile phones continues throughout this County, although they (Wiltshire Police) have been promoting use of Immobilise for some time now, it is appropriate to remind everyone of the free mobile phone registration service called Immobilise.
Many thousands of mobile phones are lost or stolen each year in the United Kingdom. With you help we can make your phone safer and help to reduce mobile phone crime. The National Mobile Phone Register already holds the details of many millions of mobile phones. Add your details now to protect your phone and help the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU) stop criminals.
Exclusive to Immobilise, all account holders registered items and ownership details are viewable on the Police national property database. As a direct result of daily checks on Immobilise there are over 250 cases a week where property is returned to owners, or information collected that assists the Police in investigating criminal activity, involving stolen goods. The recorded information can help you after loss, theft or fire to complete insurance claims, report stolen or lost property to the Police and mobile phone networks.
Immobilise is also the only ownership registration service supported by all the UK Police forces, the Greater London Authority, Transport for London and The Mobile Phone Industry.
Uniquely via your Immobilise account any registered item reported as lost or stolen appears on the Stolen Equipment National Database and CheckMEND allowing them to be identified as stolen by the Police and second hand trade.
Community Safety Officer PC Stephen Fletcher of Wiltshire Police states;
“Immobilise is an excellent FREE service that is easy and perhaps more importantly safe to use. This service has shown real results. With Christmas fast approaching and electronic gifts on many peoples wish lists we would encourage people to take the small amount of time to register items and give themselves the best opportunity to have these returned to them should they go missing. With all UK Police forces on board this is a fantastic service for people to use.”
To read the Wiltshire Police press release in full please go to: Wiltshire Police
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Posted by: Neil Stewart in Bikes, CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, Immobilise, Immobitag, Lost Property, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police, Recipero, ReportMyLoss
Recipero’s CheckMEND service in conjunction with the Police’s NMPR system has proven to be a key tool in the identification and prosecution of crimes related to stolen goods.
On the 14th May, a man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for handling stolen goods. Alexander Smith, aged 40, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court after a two year investigation conducted by Avon and Somerset Police’s burglary team and crime reduction unit in Bristol.
Officers were able to prove that Smith had been knowingly buying stolen mobile phones by utilising an online system known as CheckMEND. This system allows members of the public to check if a mobile phone is stolen before buying it.
Police searched a shop in East Street, Bedminster and identified more than 20 phones that were stolen from victims in both burglaries and robberies, many of which had occurred in the South Bristol area. A stolen pedal cycle was also found at Smith’s home address.
During one of these incidents, a female victim positively identified her stolen phone in Smith’s shop. Smith then demanded £40 from the victim before he would return her phone.
PC Frank Simonds, from Bristol Crime Reduction Unit, said:
The use of CheckMEND technology now allows the police to prove if stolen phones are being bought and sold by second hand retailers.
We will be relentless in our pursuit of those dealing in stolen goods.
Many phones that were proven to be stolen had been registered by owners on the Immobilise database. Registering phones enables the police to return them to their rightful owners.
Members of the public can register their phone for free by visiting www.immobilise.com
Members of the public can check if a mobile phone is stolen by visiting www.checkmend.com.
Retailers can receive advice on protecting their business from handling stolen goods as part of Operation Recover run by Avon and Somerset Police.
To read the source release in full please go to: Avon & Somerset Police
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Merseyside Police Community Support & Traffic Officers (PCS&TO’s) Derek Johnston and Natalie O’Neill were manning a police pod at Maghull Central Square last month, giving shoppers the opportunity to register their mobile phones with the National Property Register called Immobilise.
Natalie O’Neill said:
This means that if your phone is lost or stolen it will be easily identifiable and can be returned to its rightful owner.
Derek Johnston said that the day had proven well worthwhile:
We were getting roughly 20 people an hour visiting the pod to register their mobile phones. In fact, the event went so well that we have decided to organise an other Immobilise event in the Melling area in a few weeks time.
Merseyside Police are urging people to make their mobile phones less attractive to would-be thieves by immobilising them.
Merseyside Police has adopted the Immobilise system – a property-registering scheme that aims to make life as difficult as possible for thieves. The aim of the scheme is to encourage members of the public to register their mobiles on the National Mobile Database.
As part of a crime prevention initiative, PCSOs from Maghull are encouraging people to bring along their mobile telephones to Maghull Police Station for registering.
To read the source story in full please go to: Merseyside Police
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 Thames Valley Police are continuing to encourage residents to protect their property and register valuables on Immobilise.com, the UK National Property Register.
The website is a free database, which is used by all police forces across the UK to help them return stolen property to rightful owners.
Register your personal property at www.immobilise.com so that, if your valuables get lost or stolen and police recover it, you’ll get it back. It could also help police officers to get the burglar or robber convicted.
It takes a few minutes to complete the registration, allowing you to create a free, private and secure portfolio of all your personal property.
Inspector Sean Hodgson, Force Crime Reduction Manager, said:
We are continuing to urge residents to register their property, it only takes a few minutes to register and if your property is stolen and recovered there is a greater chance of it being returned.
Becoming a victim of crime is an incredibly upsetting experience for people, especially if personal possessions such as cameras or mobile phones are stolen with irreplaceable photos of loved ones and phone numbers of family and friends.
We are asking residents to help us and help themselves by registering all their valuables on the Immobilise database. People can register any item with a serial number.
Police officers may then be able to return any items they find to their rightful owner. It may also enable officers to secure a successful prosecution.
Thames Valley Police is currently running an initiative specifically tackling burglary, called Operation Breaker. This Forcewide campaign received a £143,000 funding boost from the Home Office on 28 December as the national ‘Operation Vigilance campaign gets underway. Operation Vigilance aims to tackle and prevent burglary and personal robbery.
To visit the Thames Valley Police website please go to: www.thamesvalley.police.uk
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 Police in Avon and Somerset yesterday (Thursday December 17) held their latest “Relentless” day, focussing on the prevention of theft and burglary.
There have been 26 Operation Relentless “days of action” since its launch in June 2005, which has resulted in more than 2150 arrests.
“Operation Relentless on Property” has targeted thieves and those who handle stolen goods in addition to highlighting crime prevention initiatives to the public to foil burglars and other criminals.
As part of the day of action, police and partner agencies engaged in a range of activities across Somerset. A warrant was carried out in the Taunton area leading to the arrest of a man for handling stolen goods. Vulnerable Vehicle Checks were carried out across the area, inspecting vehicles and identifying those with items of value left on display. The owners of the cars have been sent a letter reminding them to keep items such as phones, MP3s and Satellite Navigation Systems out of sight.
Officers also visited several second hand goods retailers with Trading Standards to ensure that they were complying with regulations and not trading in stolen items. Six arrests were made during the course of the morning. Five men were arrested for theft and another man was arrested for handling stolen goods. Four have been given bail pending further enquiries.
Officers from the district’s CID department also managed to reunite 250 items of detained property with their rightful owners this week.
Detective Inspector Alan West said:
When police receive items of property that have been recovered from thefts and burglaries, officers try to trace the owners of the items to return their possessions to them. If electrical items are registered on Immobilise and other items such as jewellery or antiques are property marked with the owners address or postcode, this process can be straightforward.
However, unmarked or unregistered items can languish in the Detained Property Department unclaimed for long periods and some items can never be linked to an owner. I would really encourage the public to either register their items on Immobilise or mark them with a UV pen or other property marking device so we can return them to you if the worst were to happen. Marking your items can also sometimes act as a deterrent to would be criminals.
Neighbourhood officers and PCSOs were also in Taunton town centre this morning registering people’s property, such as mobile phones, cameras and mp3 players, on the Immobilise website and carrying out bike and property marking. The Deputy Chief Constable, Rob Beckley, joined them in giving festive advice on how to beat the burglars and assisted with a bicycle property marking session. The team will be in the town centre again on January 13 and 21 offering these services for those who had new bikes or electronic equipment for Christmas.
In Bridgwater, officers held a property marking session at Bridgwater College for the students to register mobile phones and laptops on the Immobilise website and officers from Burnham-on-Sea visited King Alfred School in Highbridge and Kings of Wessex School in Cheddar to take property marking kits to mark and record mobile phones and MP3 players. Other property marking sessions also took place in Wellington Square in Minehead and the Town Hall in Dulverton.
DCC Beckley said:
We really want people to have a wonderful Christmas and New Year but we ask them to take some sensible measures to ensure that their festive period isn’t marred by becoming a victim of opportunistic thieves. One-in-four burglaries occur after the householder failed to secure their home and the burglar entered the property via an open door or window!
I encourage people to think about how their house looks when they go out – don’t make it obvious that there is nobody home, leave a light on and the radio playing and most importantly – make sure you lock all doors and windows, even if you are only popping out for a short period of time.
Inspector Nick Greenhalgh from the Community Safety team at Taunton Police Station said people can help protect themselves from opportunistic thieves by employing these simple measures:
- Ensure windows and doors are shut and locked when you are out
- Lock sheds and garages
- Don’t leave car keys left in an outside porch or within reach of letter boxes
- Shoppers are advised not to leave presents in view on car seats. They should be taken home immediately and not left in the vehicle.
- Christmas presents – wrapped or unwrapped – should not be left in view in the home.
- Don’t leave boxes from new TVs or laptops on display outside your home, take them to the tip.
- Register your property on www.immobilise.com
- Mark your property – kits are available from your local police teams.
Further information regarding home security and crime prevention can be obtained from your local Safer Stronger Neighbourhood team. You can contact them by calling 0845 456 7000 or you can log on to our website www.avonandsomerset.police.uk and select the Crime Prevention heading.
To read the source article in full please go to: www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/LocalPages/NewsDetails.aspx?nsid=18923&t=1&lid=5
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Nine people have been arrested in London in the past fortnight as officers crack down on organised gangs of thieves targeting music fans carrying expensive mobile phones at crowded gigs.
Officers have recorded a rise in the number of thefts at indoor and outdoor music venues across the country.
They believe pickpockets are targeting top-end mobile phones used by many to take pictures and record acts on stage.
Investigators said surging crowds and booming music can make individuals more vulnerable to theft and help criminals escape. Members of the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU), based within the Metropolitan Police, have warned music venues of the trend.
Detective Superintendent Nev Nolan, who leads the unit, said:
We want all fans to enjoy their concert and to have a good experience.
We are concerned that organised thieves are targeting concerts to steal phones from genuine fans.
A lot of people like to use their mobile phones to film or take photographs of the concert, but will then return the phone to an insecure bag or pocket, where thieves are able to snatch it.
When they discover it is gone, many will simply assume it is lost and simply cancel the sim, without reporting it to the police.
A lot of people will be getting mobile phones for Christmas and we would urge them to keep them safe and to register their phones with the website Immobilise.com.
Source: The Press Association
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The Home Office has recently announced that £250,000 of funding has been made available to help police more swiftly identify stolen mobile phones.
The scheme will see the Police National Computer (PNC) linked to the National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR) enabling frontline officers to quickly and easily check if a phone has been registered as stolen from its rightful owner.
Home Office Minister, Alan Campbell said:
By working closely with the mobile phone industry we have already put in place measures to make it harder for thieves to profit from mobile phone theft – around 90% of handsets reported stolen are now blocked within 24 hours of reporting reducing their value and the incentive for thieves.
Linking the National Mobile Phone Register to the Police National Computer 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 frontline officer’s fingertips will see that number rise further.
The NMPR (National Mobile Property Register) is the national police database of registered property ownership and stolen property records. It is linked to voluntary databases – such as Immobilise.com, where people can enter their phone’s details. So if the phone is lost or stolen police can identify it and return it to the rightful owner.
To read the offical Home Office press release go to: Home Office Press Release
To visit the National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR) go to: NMPR
To visit the NMPCU (National Mobile Phone Crime Unit) go to: NMPCU
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