03/28/2024

Wales News Online

Local & National News for Wales

Dyfed-powys introduces new lost and found policy

DYFED-Powys Police will no longer take reports directly, but you have a much better chance of getting your belongings back with the alternative.

A review has taken place of services relating to lost and found property in Dyfed-Powys Police, in conjunction with a national NPCC (National Police Chiefs’ Council) review of such services and the inherent demand being placed on police forces. We have traditionally facilitated a lost and found property service for the public, and this has led to significant demand for Front-Counter/Public Enquiry staff, Force Communication Centre staff and Property officers.

It isn’t and never has been, a statutory role of policing to accept reports of loss. And the rates for people actually getting their lost property returned to them has been very low.

So a big change is being implemented, and we will instead be advising the public to use the property management online system – ReportMyLoss.

The system was designed specifically to serve the needs of police forces, so it collects all the information a police report would, and it’s the only loss reporting tool in the UK that feeds its information in real time to the NMPR (National Mobile Property Register). NMPR is accessible to all police officers and staff nationwide ensuring that seized or recovered property can be reunited with the owner.

Its national visibility on police systems (including Police National Computer where phones are concerned) ensures higher repatriation rates when property comes into police hands.

And if the public is asked to obtain a police report by insurers, they are happy to accept ReportMyLoss reports.

ReportMyLoss is better than any historic recording system used by the police. Now, when property is found outside the force area in which it was lost, it can still be repatriated. It’s a significant improvement in service to the public.

As a member of the public in the Dyfed-Powys Police area, there is a charge of £4.95 when reporting a loss on the system (payable to ReportMyLoss). But the benefit for people who have lost possessions is that using ReportMyLoss will increase the likelihood of getting belongings back and make insurance claims more straight forward.

This change will result in Dyfed-Powys Police saving approximately £57,000 over three years, which will be invested into dealing with reports of crime, and keeping our communities safe.

There are also steps you can take to protect your valuables before a loss occurs – we would highly recommend registering them on IMMOBILISE to help reduce property crime and improve the chances of getting them back in the event of loss or theft. It is the world’s largest free register of possession ownership details and together with its sister sites the Police’s National Mobile Property Register (NMPR) and CheckMEND, forms a very effective tool in helping to reduce crime and repatriate recovered personal property to its rightful owners. The NMPR service is used daily by UK police forces to trace owners of lost and stolen property.

We would also advise that you protect your bicycle by joining the UK’s national, police approved, bicycle marking and registration scheme – BikeRegister. Registration is free.

There are some exceptions to found items that will be accepted in police stations – please see full list on our website. You will also find further information and advice there just search ‘lost & found property’ on www.dyfed-powys.police.uk

%d bloggers like this: