PERSONAL PROPERTY

Personal property, such as handbags and wallets, should never be left unattended and vulnerable to a sneak-in theft.

When personal property is stolen the emotional upset and suspicion which follows can be more damaging than the loss itself.

Good management will help to minimise the trauma for the individual and consequently the business.

Staff need to be assured that adequate arrangements exist to deal with reports of lost property and to reunite found property with its owner.

All details of lost property should be recorded in a standard format at a central location. Found property should be tagged and stored securely in the same place. If the property has been found within private business premises it can be retained on those premises.

However, if it has been found in a public place the place the police must be informed and details will be recorded. The finder will then be asked if he/she wishes to retain the property providing possession does not compromise security eg keys, offensive weapons, cheques, cheque cards, bank books, personal papers etc.

All found property should be tagged with the finders name and address and it's description recorded. This should also include serial numbers, where applicable.

In the case of valuable property, a brief description, insufficient to facilitate false claims should be posted on notice boards. Determined by the value of the item and the circumstances, it may be necessary to consider informing the police as a mater of course.

If found property is claimed, care must be taken to ensure that the claimant is the legitimate owner.

The claimant's particulars should be entered in the record and it's return endorsed by the claimant's signature. The finder should then be notified of this fact as a matter of courtesy.

Unclaimed property should be retained for at least one month if it had been retained on the business premises. Records should also be maintained as to how the property was disposed of.

Examples of lost property forms are included on this website. Click here for further details.

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