Leicestershire Police deploys property registration technology to combat theft

Leicestershire Police has deployed property registration technology alongside its ‘Get it Logged. Get it Back!’ campaign, which encourages people to register their personal property on the national, free Immobilise website.

Officers are now able to determine instantly if recovered property has been stolen, return it to registered owners fast and have proven grounds for arrest of offenders and associated handlers.

Radio Tactics’ HERMES property registration tool and data collection kit is used in conjunction with its specialist handset APOLLO, which can identify stolen property instantly – deterring opportunistic thieves and serial offenders by rendering registered property less valuable to stolen goods handlers.

“The main aim of the initiative is to proactively identify and locate offenders, recover stolen property and offer reassurance and crime-prevention advice to the members of the public,” said Chris Woodward, BUC partnership manager at Leicestershire Police. “There is no doubt, in this day and age, that modern technology can help us fight crime; if criminals know we have the technology to immediately identify stolen property and return it to the rightful owners fast, they might think twice about stealing.”

Leicestershire Police has been raising awareness of the benefits of registering property through the ‘Get it Logged. Get it Back!’ campaign with banners, property stickers, window stickers and posters. These have been

distributed and displayed throughout local residential areas, shops, community safety partnerships and educational institutions, including Loughborough University.

It forms part of a more innovative approach to fighting crime and is being used by officers in Loughborough, Rutland, Wigston, Market Harborough and North West Leicestershire.

Crucial to the success of the ‘Get it Logged. Get it Back!’ campaign is the need for local communities and university students to register their property on the Immobilise property database. Leicestershire Police, alongside community safety partners and university security teams, have been holding regular events to encourage people to register their property in a quick, straightforward scan and recording process that takes a matter of minutes and to display Get it Logged! stickers to clearly identify registered property. Registration can also be completed on the Leicestershire Police website.

Once property has been registered, owners receive an email prompt to record further personal effects, from mobile phones and laptops to bicycles.