Most wanted
Items like mobiles, laptops and MP3 players are easy for thieves to sell on, which makes them popular items to steal. Try and protect and safeguard your property. Record serial numbers and unique reference codes of your electronic goods and valuables on www.immobilise.com - the free online database.
If you are a victim of a burglary, simply update the status of the items to 'stolen'.
This will help the police to try and trace your property more easily. In addition, use the following advice to try and protect your property.
· Don't leave valuables on display in your car or vehicle or at home near windows.
· Do not leave cash or jewellery lying around.
· Keep all valuables out of sight, hidden and in a safe place.
Laptops/ tablets
· Use an ultraviolet (UV) pen to mark both the battery and inside the battery cover of your laptop or tablet with your postcode and with your house number or the first two initials of your house name.
· Create a strong password.
· Perform a full disk encryption (FDE) to help protect sensitive data stored inside your laptop or tablet PC.
Smart phones
· When you register your phone on Immobilise, include the IMEI number. You can find this by pressing the following keys on your handset: * # 0 6 # This is your phone's unique number and the first thing the police will check for when recovering property.
Cash and jewellery
· Do not leave cash or jewellery lying around. Keep all valuables out of sight, hidden and in a safe place.
· Take photos of all your valuable jewellery.
· Consider engraving it.
Bicycles
· Invest in a good quality lock – hardened steel D-shaped locks and sturdy chain locks are recommended.
· If possible use two different types of lock.
· Secure your bike, even at home.
· Take a photo of it and register it on Immobilise including a written record of its description.
Home entertainment systems
· Register the serial number of your TV/ DVD and audio equipment in Immobilise.
· Mark your postcode on the back with a UV pen.