30k sign up to anti-crime site

9:30am Thursday 2nd October 2008

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TENS of thousands of York residents have signed up to an online weapon to combat theft.

In June, North Yorkshire Police introduced an online system which allows people to register their belongings with serial numbers, such as mobile phones, power tools and bikes. The website, www.immobilise.com, then allows police to search the database to track down their rightful owners if they are stolen.

Since the launch of the system, which is already working successfully in other parts of the country and was launched here as part of the Feeling And Being Safe In York campaign, 25,500 city residents in have signed up to secure their property. A further 4,800 Selby residents have also signed up. They have registered their valuables, such as bikes, mobile phones, power tools and satellite navigation systems.

Sgt Rick Ball, of York Police, said he hoped use of the website would deter burglars in the city.

“As more people sign up it will make life harder and harder for opportunist thieves,” he said.

“When such property is lost or stolen and comes into police possession, we are then able to check Immobilise by using the National Mobile Property Register and, if it is registered, get the property back to its owner. So, at just the click of the button, we can return stolen property to their rightful owners.”

Immobilise is the home of the UK National Property Register And Recovery Service, which has more than 22 million items of property registered on its databases.

The secure web-based property registration site allows North Yorkshire Police to check the system, using the National Mobile Property Register (NMPR), when a property is lost or stolen and comes into police possession.

If the property is registered it can be returned back to its rightful owner based on serial numbers.

Sgt Ball said he predicted long-term success for the future of the website. “It has clearly been a huge success so far,” he said.

Sgt Ball said police were working on ways to improve the site, to help reunite more crime victims back with their stolen property.

Every time a theft is reported, that report, crime reference number and details of the stolen goods will be added to the database, even if that person is not a member of the immobilise system.

“This will allow any police officer, anywhere in the country, to check any seized goods against the crime reference numbers on the website,” Sgt Ball said.