Stolen items database free to the public

Trace, a global cross-category database of stolen valuables has become free to the general public.

Formerly known as Swift-Find, Trace is used by police organisations, auction houses, dealers, insurers, pawnbrokers and the fine arts trade. It provides an online tool for anyone purchasing, trading, or dealing in valuable items to confirm in real-time whether items have been reported lost, stolen, or looted.

Trace covers more than 80 per cent of the value of the auction market and last year Trace searches in over 88 matches rated “possible” or “likely” to be lost or stolen art and antiquities.

The service, which has always been free to police organisations, is now the only free service available to both law enforcement and consumers.

It offers a service called MyThings, which that allows consumers to create an online portfolio of their valuables. Consumers enter items into their private online portfolio, facilitating property identification should any of these items become lost or stolen.

A Trace spokesperson said: “We provide a secure and anonymous resource for victims of property crime to report items as stolen, increasing the chance of recovery, thereby offering value to both consumers and police groups.

“Storing data in a global system improves the police’s ability to solve property theft and offers peace of mind to the public about their ability to track down stolen goods. Law enforcement organisations also contribute lost or stolen items to the Trace database, helping increase the accuracy of the data and the ability to solve crimes.”