Op Inheritance reunites people with stolen items
Devon and Cornwall Police are celebrating some great success since taking their Operation Inheritance online.
In January, officers took the operation, which helps trace stolen items, to Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about stolen items in circulation.
In just one month, dozens of stolen items have been successfully reunited with their rightful owners including a diamond wedding band, a platinum engagement ring, Nikon cameras, a custom made touring bike and an Apple i-Pad.
Plymouth PCSO Trystan Fentem from the Op Inheritance team, said: “The reaction since taking this operation to Twitter and Facebook has been brilliant. The public has really gotten behind this Operation. Thanks to them, we have been able to reunite victims of crime with the items stolen from them.
“We had a series of burglaries in Plymouth and thanks to Op Inheritance, we have been able to return wedding bands and engagement rings back to their rightful owners; items with significant sentimental value.
“The vast majority of items we have recovered and reunited with people have been those with serial marking and registered on stolen item sites. We advise everyone to record unique and identifiable marks and numbers using these websites. If you become a victim of a theft, we have a better chance of identifying property and returning this to you.”
Serial marking allows police to use systems such as The National Mobile Property Register (NMPR), Immobilise and Bike Register to locate the items at various locations throughout the city. Even electronics including laptops and mobile phones have unique codes that can be registered.
For property without a serial number, such as jewellery and antiques, or for items made of multiple components such as bicycles, Police advise owners to take photographs and store them safely.
For more information on property marking members of the public can visit: www.immobilise.com and www.bikeregister.com. Op Inheritance, which advertises stolen items to look out for and crime prevention advice can be found on Twitter @opinheritance or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/opinheritance
