Category Archives: NMPR

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Lost Property, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police, Report My Loss, Students

Kent Police issue advice on protecting your personal property

The Kent Police website offers some great information and advice on protecting your personal property. The advice includes personal safety, securing your home, personal property and vehicle security. Much of what you will read on the site is commonly issued advice, however the Essex website has gathered it all together in a useful easy to digest form that is relevant to all of us regardless of where we live.

One of the key messages that comes across is the importance of marking your possessions and registering them on the Immobilise Property Register.

The police recover many items that have been lost or stolen. By security marking items that have financial or sentimental value, it is easier for the police to identify them and return them to you.

Marking your property may also act as a deterrent to thieves, who do not want to be caught holding or passing on stolen items.

Always include information that will help identify you as the owner of the property, for example, a postcode.

For more information please see the following links:

Kent Police: www.kent.police.uk/advice/advice.html

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Immobilize, ImmobiTag, NMPR, Police, Report My Loss

Has your bike been stolen?

This is Gloucestershire recently reported that cyclists who have had their bikes stolen had the opportunity to be reunited with them.

A cycle viewing and coding session was held at Cheltenham Police Station in Lansdown Road. The event was put on so people who have reported their bicycles stolen could see if they had been found by police.

It was also a chance for cyclists to find out more about protecting their bikes through the National Mobile Property Register (NMPR) which is accessed by the public via the www.immobilise.com website.

Police community support officer Kim Graham, who organised the event, said:

We now have more than 1,100 people who have registered through us with the NMPR thanks to the local cycle shops and police operations.

Officers were also security marking and encouraging cyclists to register their bikes on immobilise.

By visiting the website www.immobilise.com, a free, private and secure portfolio of personal property can be created and items added to the NMPR.

If the bike, or registered item, is then lost or stolen the website can be used to tell the police, insurers and the second-hand trade to help in finding it and catching the thief.

To read the source story please go to: http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/

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

CheckMEND officially adopted by phone recycling industry and Home Office code of practice

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:

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police, Report My Loss

Leicester police urge residents to register their property on Immobilise

Police in Leicester have visited over 500 homes in just two days as part of their commitment to reducing burglaries.

Police Community Support Officers have knocked on 523 doors, personally spoken to 324 residents about their home security and provided them with a burglary prevention pack in the Hinckley Road area of the city. At homes where there was no response, a pack was posted through the letterbox.

The main aim of the initiative is to encourage residents to register their property on the UK National Property Register, Immobilise, which is supported by all UK police forces. Members of the public can log on to www.immobilise.com to register the serial numbers of expensive electronic items such as televisions, laptops, mobile phones and MP3 players. These details will assist the police in tracing property and returning it to its owner in the event it is stolen.

Chief Inspector Chris Baker said:

Immobilise is a national database that’s free to use and takes just minutes to register your property. It is used by all police forces to assist in identifying the rightful owners of recovered stolen property. Whilst insurance may cover the cost of a stolen laptop, it cannot replace lost family photos or important work stored on it.

Where possible officers have spent time with homeowners to personally explain how the Immobilise scheme works and

arranged for residents to have a personal visit from Leicestershire Constabulary’s Crime Reduction Officer or referred them to the Council for free security improvements to their home.

The Immobilise initiative, which will be rolled out to other areas of the city over the summer months, forms part of Operation Itchen – a city-wide campaign to reduce burglaries. As well as increased high visibility patrols and the targeting of known offenders, a number of other initiatives will run throughout the summer in conjunction with the Safer Leicester Partnership.

Anyone with information about burglaries in Leicester is urged to call Leicestershire Constabulary on 0116 222 2222 or Crimestoppers, and anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

To read the source story in full please go to: www.leics.police.uk/

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

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Immobilize, ImmobiTag, NMPR, Police, Report My Loss, Students

Avon & Somerset Police to hold an Immobilise registration event

Avon & Somerset Police have announced that on Thursday 29 April 2010 between 10am and 3pm the Neighbourhood Policing Team will be at Curry’s on Channons Hill to promote Immobilise.com. Members of the public will have the opportunity to register goods, such as mobile phones, iPods, etc and speak with local officers about any concerns they may have.

For more infromation please go to: http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk

CheckMEND, Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police, Recipero, Report My Loss

Home Office unveils technologies to help protect Britain’s 75m mobile phone users from crime

stolenmobilephonesThree new design innovations to tackle mobile phone crime, including a device that locks a phone and alerts the owner if it is taken away from them, have been unveiled today. The prototypes were developed by teams of designers and technology experts as part of the Mobile Phone Security Challenge, an initiative from the Home Office Design and Technology Alliance and the Design Council, with support and funding from the Technology Strategy Board.

Although the adoption of the designs by the industry is by no means guaranteed, very few people disagree that more needs to be done to address crime relating to mobile phones and portable devices. Although overall crime has dropped since 1997, according to research performed by the University of Leicester, the type of crimes being committed has changed. Their findings suggest that a decade ago burglary was attractive to criminals as they would find households containing DVD players, videos etc that were easy to sell on. These days DVD players cost as little as £20 so have hardly any resale value.

As the phones and media devices we carry around with us have become more powerful, their values have increased and along with it their attractiveness to criminals.

Commenting on the research findings criminology lecturer James Treadwell said:

While we might have seen a decline in some types of crime, we have seen a rise in other forms of criminal activity, particularly young people who seem to be mugging one another

DVD players for example, got cheaper, certain consumer items became smaller and were very, very expensive and sought after, and so the latest mobile phone, or the latest iPod, which people carry about them, have become targets for robbers.

Mobile phone crime will never be an easy issue to address especially as devices become enabled for mobile payments, but new designs and initiatives like the Immobilise National Property Register / NMPR will continue to combat crime.

Links:

Immobilise National Property Register
Home Office: New technologies unveiled to help protect Britain’s 75m mobile phone users from crime
BBC News: Crime targets affected by drop in goods prices

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

Bristol Police launch campaign to tackle expected spring burglaries

NewsImageNS19276NSU-1LARGEPolice in Bristol expect 1,000 homes to be burgled in the city in the next three months.

Bristol’s priority crime team want to reduce that number and prevent your home being one of those thousand, and to help they are launching a Spring burglary campaign.

Richard Kelvey, Detective Chief Inspector on the burglary team, said:

We know from previous statistics that there are likely to be 1,000 homes burgled in Bristol in the next three months.

We want to do everything we can to reduce that number and we are working hard but we need the public to be aware of how to make themselves and their homes less vulnerable to burglary.

Surprisingly, around 300 of all those burglaries expected to take place, will happen because someone forgets to lock a back door or leaves a window open. We know it is easily done when you are rushing to get out of the door for work or to get the kids to school – making the property insecure and giving thieves easy access.

Another method for burglars is smashing a small window or glass panel in a front or back door in order to put a hand through and unlock it – which is why keys should never be left in back doors or on nearby surfaces.

People are also advised to keep hard copy photos, receipts and descriptive records of their property as well registering it on national property database Immobilise so that it can be identified in the event it is stolen.

Councillor Gary Hopkins, Bristol City Council Cabinet Member for the Environment and Community Safety, said:

Although burglary rates are going down steadily we want to ensure everyone knows the simple precautions to take to reduce their chance of being burgled.

Avon & Somerset Police have some good tips to keep your home safe:

  • Lock it or lose it – always make sure you secure windows and doors before leaving your home, using ALL locks, including deadlocks and bolts on windows and doors.
  • If you have an alarm system ALWAYS set it before going out even if it’s only for a few minutes.
  • Don’t advertise your home to thieves – never leave valuable items on display in windows.
  • Never leave packaging for expensive items out in the recycling box all week: either put it out on the morning it’s due to be collected or take it to the tip.
  • If you have a side or back lane on your house make sure it is gated and well lit, so as to not give easy access to your property.
  • Use a switch timer and leave a radio when you go out.

To read the source article in full please go to: Avon and Somerset Police

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police, Students

Thames Valley Police: Got a new gadget? Immobilise it

Thames Valley Police are urging the public to make it one of their New Year’s resolutions to register personal property on the UK National Property Register, Immobilise.

Did you receive a new mobile phone, camera, bike, MP3 player or ‘sat nav’ this Christmas?

They are recommending that the public should Register your personal property at 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 officer, said:

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.

He added:

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.

To read the source article in full please go to: Thames Valley Police Website

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police, Report My Loss

Merseyside Police adopt the Immobilise system

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Were you lucky enough to receive a new mobile phone, MP3 player, Sat Nav, bike or other valuables this Christmas? If so, Merseyside Police is urging you to make them less attractive to would be thieves by immobilising them.

Merseyside Police have adopted the Immobilise system – a property registering scheme which aims to make life as difficult as possible for thieves. The aim of the scheme is to encourage members of the public to register with the Immobilise website (www.immobilise.com), a simple process which takes just a few minutes.

The website allows users to register their personal possessions on a secure database free of charge. If any lost or stolen items are recovered by police, officers can retrieve the owner’s details from the website. They can be returned to the owner with, in the case of theft, a better prospect of a successful prosecution.

The Immobilise website is linked to the National Mobile Property Register, a national police database of registered property ownership and stolen property records.

Chief Inspector Stuart Ellison comments:

Being a victim of crime is awful at anytime, but the impact can often be greater at Christmas, particularly if gifts are stolen. Registering items on the site only takes a few minutes and it may help you become reunited with your property if it is stolen or lost.

The NMPR is searched thousands of times a day by forces across the UK and it is used routinely by Merseyside Police.

Merseyside Police advise taking the following precautions with items such as mobile phones and MP3 players:

  • Be aware of your surroundings, and conceal items if you feel uneasy.
  • Never leave your property unattended, keep it on you, not near you.
  • Be particularly vigilant whilst travelling home from school or college and when leaving railway stations or other public transport locations.
  • Finally, register your property for free at www.immobilise.com

Basically, you can register anything with a serial number – simply log onto www.immobilise.com. Then if any item of registered property is stolen, report it to the Police and, in the case of a mobile phone, for example, give police your IMEI number, inform your service provider and tell them to block both the SIM and handset. You should then update your online Immobilise account.

To read the Merseyside Police news article in full please go to: www.merseyside.police.uk