Monthly Archives: May 2010

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, ImmobiTag, Mobile Phones, Police, Report My Loss, Students

Wiltshire Police promote use of Immobilise to register property

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

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

Bicycles, CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, Immobilise, ImmobiTag, Lost Property, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police, Recipero, Report My Loss

CheckMEND leads Bristol Police to successful prosecution of stolen goods seller

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