States of Jersey Police lost property office (FOI)

​Request

A

How many 'found' items were handed into Jersey Police's lost property office between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2015 (or any 12 month period reasonably close to this time frame)?

B

How many of these items remain unclaimed?
Could I, if possible, have a breakdown of these items (ie keys, mobile phones, tablets etc)?

Response

A and B

Property handed to police and not subject of a crime is treated as 'Found Property' and subject to the Police Force (Disposal of property) (Jersey) Regulations 1975:

Download Police Force (Disposal of property) (Jersey) Regulations 1975 (size 43kb)

Not all items handed in to the police station are recorded as 'Found Property'. Items of low value that cannot be readily linked to an owner are held at the front desk for up to three months. These items include keys and spectacles. To date this month, 9 September 2016, ten sets of keys have been handed in with three being claimed. If unclaimed after three months, they will be disposed of.

Mobile phones of which the owners cannot be identified are also held on the front desk for owners to identify although these are recorded as 'Found Property'.

For the 12 months from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015, a total of 1,992 items were handed into the States of Jersey Police and recorded as 'Found Property'. This number is higher than the number of deposits due to each item within a bag or wallet being counted separately. Of these 1992 items, 1704 were returned to the owner. This is almost entirely as a result of the items having some form of identification enclosed.

A number of smart phones, laptops and tablets are among the items that have not been claimed. These eventually have to be destroyed. They cannot be sold on at auction or returned to the finder as they contain the personal data of the original owner.

Other unclaimed items include:

• Pedal cycles, which are sold for a nominal fee to a local charity who then refurbish and sell on.

• Passports, bank cards, store cards and social security cards are returned to the owner or issuing authority.

• Cash, costume jewellery, clothing: usually go to local charities.

• Items of value, jewellery, watches, power tools, electrical goods and musical instruments: sold at auction and the monies raised, as dictated by the above regulations, credited to the Treasurer of the States. Auctions to date this year have raised £532.77.

If you find property, you have a legal responsibility to make reasonable efforts to find the owner. If you find property such as bank cards or driving licences you should hand them in or post to the appropriate authority, bank, passport office or Driver and Vehicle Standards (DVS).

If you find an item whilst on private property, consider handing it in to the premises where found. Often private organisations will have their own lost and found property services; these include shops, clubs, the airport, the harbour, gyms, places of work, Liberty Bus and major events such as Jersey Live. They are often best placed to deal with the items and should be the first point of contact.

Similarly, if you have lost an item, we recommend you always retrace your steps and make enquiries in the area(s) it may have been misplaced. If the item was lost on private property or on public transport, then we recommend contacting the corresponding lost property department.

Items such as mobile telephones, laptops, jewellery, cash, keys, computer or electrical equipment, firearms, shotguns or ammunition, explosives, chemicals, toxins or poisons, drugs or medicines or any other similar items should be handed in to the States Police if safe to do so.

Should you find an item that is dangerous or could cause harm, advise the management of the premises and contact the States Police.