Category Archives: Students

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

If you love it, log it! South Yorkshire police promote immobilise

South Yorkshire Police are advising people: ‘If you love it, log it’.

In a countywide crackdown on theft and burglary, police are urging people to log their expensive Christmas presents and any other precious belongings on immobilise.com – the world’s largest FREE register of ownership details.

In a time when police resources are getting ever more stretched, the police are looking to focus their efforts on crime prevention, with this campaign aimed at preventing thefts happening in the first place – a more efficient way of protecting the public.

And in addition to acting as a major deterrent to criminals, the big difference with Immobilise is that as well as getting your stuff back if it’s lost or stolen, the system helps to catch the thieves as well!

The database is linked directly to police systems, so when officers recover any property, for whatever reason, they can check it against items logged on Immobilise. For example, if someone arrested on suspicion of drunk and disorderly has your stolen mobile phone in their pocket, police will also be able to link the theft to them as well – but only if it’s registered!

Any item can be registered on immobilise. The easiest items to log are electricals, or anything that has a serial number, but you can even log jewellery or ornamental items using the photo upload and description functions. You can register as many items as you like, and then if they are lost or stolen you simply log back on to register them as such. The police can check any property they recover, whether that’s when a person is brought into custody for any reason, property recovered from criminals in raids, or even during one of their now routine checks on second-hand dealers. And if they find anything that is listed as stolen, not only will you get your belongings back, but the thieves can be brought to justice.

Chief Superintendent Bill Hotchkiss said:

Part of policing involves stopping crime happening in the first place. The public can play a huge part in this by protecting their property with Immobilise, making items easier to identify and less attractive to thieves.

We want to send a clear message to those potential thieves that anything logged on Immobilise is too hot to handle. As a member of the South Yorkshire public, by registering your property, and marking it as such, you are much less likely to become a victim of crime.

To support the campaign, police are distributing packs to the public to make the process even easier. These include a selection of stickers to mark all your items as logged, so as to deter criminals, and an information leaflet to explain the process. The packs are available from your local police stations in South Yorkshire or from South Yorkshire branches of Curries, Dixons and PC World. In addition, safer neighbourhood team officers will be out and about in public places offering packs and advice to members of the public.

Visit www.immobilise.com to get started.

More details can be found at www.southyorks.police.uk

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

Avon & Somerset Police launch unusual crime awareness campaign

Avon & Somerset Police have launched an unusual crime awareness & immobilise registration campaign for Christmas. Reported by the Bristol Evening Post, shoppers can learn how to stay safe this Christmas with the help of a mocked up crime scene.

Avon and Somerset Police have transformed an empty shop unit in The Mall Bristol, Broadmead, into a rather unusual information centre.

Experts from Bike UK, the Safer Bristol Partnership and the police will be on hand to advise members of the public on all safety issues, from bike locks and seasonal burglary to late night transport and drink and drug awareness.

One of two large window displays will contain a crime scene for members of the public to investigate. The other will be have a bike security theme. Police will be urging shoppers to register presents like laptops and bikes on the national property database, Immobilise.

The database is used by police to trace the owners of suspected stolen property.

If the items are ever stolen the account holder logs on and marks them as stolen. They will then be flagged up on the national database as stolen when checked by retailers or police forces.

There will also be the chance to win a Saracen mountain bike, free T-Shirt printing with the police’s Streetwise team after school on December 9 and 16, and balloons to fingerprint and take home.

PCSO Warren Vincent-Rodgers from the Broadmead and Cabot Circus police team came up with the idea for the shop.

He said:

We tested the shop in The Mall last year with great success, speaking to more than 1,000 Bristol residents about all sorts of security and safety issues.

You can’t really have a more striking window display than a crime scene, and with so many TV programmes getting children and adults interested in this area of work, it’s a fantastic opportunity to see at first hand the techniques CSIs use to find clues and help solve cases.

Everyone is invited to note down their theory of what happened and will be entered into a prize draw.

It should make a welcome distraction from Christmas shopping.

The shop will open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm, on Thursdays until 7pm, and on Saturdays until 3pm. For more on immobilise go to www.immobilise.com.

To read the source article please go to: www.thisisbristol.co.uk

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

Immobilise the Thieves this Christmas – Tayside Police

With Christmas fast approaching Tayside Police is urging those who receive mobile phones and any other valuable electrical items to register them at www.immobilise.com

Mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 and MP4 players, and sat nav systems are the most commonly stolen items in Tayside. Unless they are registered, they are also least likely to be returned to their owners if found.

The ‘immobilise’ database is an on-line property search, used by the police service to search for any identifiable item of property. Once a phone or other piece of electrical equipment is registered, officers can use it to look up its IMEI number or unique registration number, view the registered owner’s details, find out if it has been reported stolen to the police anywhere in the UK, and in the case of a mobile phone, which network it is on. All this means that you improve your chances of getting your phone back if it is lost or stolen.

Divisional Crime Prevention Officer Colin Brough said,

These days mobile phones are used for more than just making phone calls. Many people have their whole lives on them – family pictures, important emails, personal and business contact details. We realise that if your phone is lost or stolen it can have a major impact on your life.

We want as many people as possible to get their phones and other property registered on the database this Christmas. It’s really simple, takes only a couple of minutes and better still it’s absolutely free. It means that if a mobile phone, laptop, sat nav or whatever is found, or if we stop someone with any of these items that we believe do not to belong to them, we can quickly check it on the database, and return it to the rightful owner.

We hope that by encouraging more and more people to register their property, the message that it’s just not worth it will get back to those who are thinking about stealing a phone, laptop, sat nav or MP3 player.

To view the source article please go to: www.tayside.police.uk

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

Cumbria Police increase festive burglary patrols

The News & Star in Cumbria has reported that Police patrols are being stepped up in a bid to stop thieves cashing in on Christmas and spoiling families’ festive season.

Cumbria’s force chiefs also revealed that they had recovered £1,700 of stolen property as part of investigations into a spate of burglaries in north Allerdale.

They have also issued a warning to householders, saying: “Don’t let thieves spoil your Christmas” and urged them to keep possessions “safe, hidden and locked”.

Police teams across the county are distributing a festive flyer, with tips on how to keep valuables, cars and houses safe at a time when burglaries traditionally increase.

PC Simon Evans, of north Cumbria’s community safety squad, said:

By following these messages, you can hopefully have a crime-free Christmas.

Crime-cutting efforts in the area will include the promotion of a website – www.immobilise.com – that allows people to register property for free, recording unique information that can be used by police to trace owners of stolen property.

Inspector Dennis Kelly, who heads west Cumbria’s burglary action team, said:

We are raising awareness of the importance of securing homes effectively and asking for the community’s help to provide us with information if they see anything or anyone acting suspiciously.

If you see something, please call us. Your small piece of information could help us to build up an intelligence picture and could mean that we can intervene and stop a crime from happening.

To read the source article in full please go to: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/

CheckMEND, CheckMEND USA, Crime, eBay, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police, Report My Loss, Students

Recycling a phone – things you should know before you do

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In the last few months there has been a major improvement in the way recyclers ensure they are not handling goods that are deemed not to be in the hands of the rightful owner. They do this by consulting the CheckMEND database as part of their checking process and if they discover certain facts about the phone they have a legal requirement to act in a predefined manner which you should be aware of.

What are these facts?

If any of the following records exist for the item you are sending to a recycler:

  • A block by the UK networks on the Shared Equipment Identity Register (SEIR) also known as the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR)
  • A loss or theft report on the Police Stolen Equipment National Database (SEND)
  • A fulfilled insurance claim on the Identifiable Property Insurance Database (IPCD)

Then the recycler has an obligation under their Code of Practice to do certain things:

  • They must tell you there is a problem and give you the details on how to contact CheckMEND so we can tell you which records are present and how you may go about getting them updated to allow the sale to proceed.
  • They must tell CheckMEND about the failure to pass the testing so that CheckMEND may inform the Police, Insurer or Network that originated the record.
  • They must hold the phone for 28 days to allow you to get the records updated or the record originator to claim the item or contact you.
  • If at the end of the 28 days the records have not been updated or the phone claimed as above, the recycler is deemed to be the legal owner of the handset and is required to dispose of the item responsibly.
  • The recycler CANNOT in these circumstances return the item to you or pay you for it. To do either would risk offences under The Theft Act or Proceeds Of Crime Act.

How can you protect yourself?

  • If you are buying a used item, always ask the seller for a CheckMEND certificate or run a check yourself before buying.
  • Always run a check on CheckMEND before you send an item to a recycler or otherwise try to sell it on.
  • If you get a red result on any of the checks shown on the certificate DO NOT send the phone to a recycler until you have got the records updated and the check shows the phone as green, at which point you can send in the item.
  • Sometimes, unscrupulous sellers will supply an item and only weeks or months later report it as lost/stolen or claim on their insurance. This is rare but in this case, your item could fall foul of the above rules after you had a green CheckMEND check and sent it to a recycler. If you are refused payment for your item in this manner as a result of a block, theft report or insurance claim CheckMEND will refund to you the cost of the check. (Not the cost of the item).

If you would like more information on the Recyclers’ code of practice please visit their web sitehttp://www.stoprecycledstolenphones.com

To visit CheckMEND please go to: www.checkmend.com

To read the source article please go to: www.checkmend.com/uk/recycle

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, Lost Property, Mobile Phones, Police, Report My Loss, Students

BBC features West Midlands Police’s Digi-bike promoting Immobilise

BBC news yesterday reported that the West Midlands Police in Dudley have just unveiled a new tool in their drive to reduce crime. The device is a four wheeled pedal powered “Digi-bike”, providing a multimedia message to passersby, broadcasting Bluetooth and video and audio messages from its screens and speakers.

One of the key crime prevention messages that the digi-bike is promoting is the registration of your valued property on the Immobilise National Property Register (www.immobilise.com).

To view the BBC video go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-10947119

To read the expanded BBC news story go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-black-country-10944247

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

Glastonbury Police offer advice to festival goers

As festival-goers gear up for this year’s Glastonbury Festival police in Avon and Somerset are offering some final tips and advice for a safe and crime free event.

Every year Avon and Somerset Police work closely with the festival organisers to ensure the event remains largely crime-free and a safe environment for all festival-goers.

Crime at the festival is generally low and the crime that does occur can be easily prevented. Police advise festival-goers to leave valuables at home and only take essential items to the festival with them.

If you do have to take valuable items with you make use of the free property lock-ups throughout the site and don’t leave anything valuable unattended in your tents. Register any valuable items on the Immobilise database before you leave for home so that if anything is lost or stolen police have a better chance of reuniting you with your items if they are recovered.

While out watching your favourite bands make sure you have your phone and wallet secured tightly away. Experience shows that it’s in big crowds and ‘mosh pits’ close to stages that the thieves are more likely to target you.

Personal safety and illegal substances: No matter what myths you may have heard about police having a policy at Glastonbury of allowing people to smoke cannabis or take small amounts of other drugs, it is not true. Police have a zero tolerance policy to illegal substances and will be relentless in combating drug-related crime.

The law at Glastonbury is exactly the same as any other city, town or street in the rest of the United Kingdom when it comes to possession and use of an illegal substance. If you are found to be in possession of drugs at the festival you face arrest and prosecution as well as eviction from the site.

Contacting police at the Festival: Finally, if at the festival you do need to contact officers, the best thing to do is visit the 24-hour police station on site at the Festival. This is situated to the north of the festival site along with the other emergency services.

If you need to contact police in an emergency however always call 999.

Officers will be patrolling the site throughout the festival offering a reassuring and highly visible presence and are more than happy to chat to festival goers about their concerns. Officers will be loaded with crime prevention freebies to give away to festival-goers throughout the event.

To receive updates from the police during the festival on anything from traffic problems to beat surgeries then register for text alerts by texting ‘GLASTO’ to 81003. Everyone who registers for alerts will be entered into a prize draw to win a Sony PSP (full terms and conditions available on the police’s Glastonbury microsite – www.glastonburypolice.org).

To register on the Immobilise Database follow these instructions:
Key *#06# on your phone’s keypad to view your IMEI number.

Register by text: Then text REG followed by your IMEI number to 83010 – and Immobilise will reply with your account details and instructions. You will be charged a one-off 25p charge for the return text message.

Alternatively; register online: Visit www.immobilise.com and register for free.

To read the source article in full please go to: http://www.glastonburypolice.org/news/Details.aspx?nsid=20720#nsu-1

Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police, Report My Loss, Students, Uncategorized

MET Police – Croydon: Immobilise your phone

Croydon Council and Croydon Police, working as the Safer Croydon Partnership, have launched a campaign to combat mobile phone robbery among young people. Those aged 13-17 are more likely to be victims of robbery than any other age group, and the item most likely to be stolen is their mobile phone.

The campaign aims to raise awareness among young people about protecting themselves and their property and prevent them from becoming victims of theft. The message is – don’t make your phone a moving target – stay aware when using it in public places.

Posters will go up in secondary schools, youth clubs and at transport hubs across the borough. Police and council officers will be handing out leaflets to young people at bus and train stations and other busy areas.

A key element of the campaign is to get people to register their phone at www.immobilise.com . Doing this can help the police to recover property if is it is stolen and to catch the thieves.

We would advise anyone who has a mobile phone, whatever their age, to register it on www.immobilise.com as soon as possible. If it is stolen, it increases your chances of getting it back. It also helps the police to catch those responsible and bring them to justice – taking robbers off the streets.

When you register your phone on the website, please tell them you heard about www.immobilise.com from the Safer Croydon Partnership.

To read the source article please go to: Metropolitan Police

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