Changes to Lost Property Reporting

From Friday, 1st February 2019, police forces across the United Kingdom are limiting the types of reports of found property made by members of the public at front counters and via 101. 

There is no statutory duty for police forces to maintain a system of recording non-evidential property (lost and found) and in a bid to reduce non-essential demand and associated costs and bureaucracy, a proposal to cease the recording of found property reports has been approved by the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC). 

The new policy refers to all property found in public places. The public will be encouraged to retain the property from the outset and the police service will not accept and record found property except under certain circumstances where retention by the finder shall not be permitted. 

Please call 101 or visit a front counter to report found items such as:

• Items containing data – e.g. laptops, phones and tablets
• Cash within identifiable wallets
• Unidentifiable cash
• Items suspected of being involved in crime

Call 999 to report:

• Firearms and ammunition
• Drugs, explosives and chemicals 

Items such as bank cards, driving licenses and passports can be returned to the issuer. Please check the back of the item for a return address. Found UK passports should be returned to HM Passport Office. Items found on private property, for example shopping centres, should be handed in to customer services or the management team. 

Message from Roads Policing Unit
 
Police officers have been attending collisions around the county due to the cold and icy weather. Please remember that speed limits are the maximum speed allowed for the road you are travelling on and the actual speed within that limit needs to be adjusted according to the conditions.

Distraction Theft
 
A wallet was stolen from a vehicle in Dorking recently. The driver, after parking, was distracted by a man asking for directions to London. He was described as white, 5'10" and with an average build but there is no description of the accomplice who is believed to have taken the wallet while the driver was being distracted. Please remain vigilant.
 
Further advice on keeping safe can be found here: https://www.surrey.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/personal-robbery/

Trading Standards
 
If you get a burst pipe during the cold snap, don’t respond to cold callers - use a reputable trader from http://checkatrade.com instead. For advice, please call 03454 040506.

Operation Signature

Operation Signature is a Surrey Police and Sussex Police campaign to identify and support vulnerable victims of fraud across both counties. 

There has been a number of cases recently of elderly and vulnerable people, often living alone, being conned out of cash by fraudsters pretending to be police officers. The criminals make contact by phone, say they are a police officer and ask the victim to go to their bank and withdraw large sums of money because the police are investigating the possibility that the money could be counterfeit.

Remember: The police or your bank will never ask you for money, your bank card or your PIN number. Be extremely wary of unexpected phone calls from your bank or the police. End the call and contact your bank or the police on 101.

Inheritance fraud 

When you are told that someone extremely wealthy has passed away and you’re in line to receive a windfall, this is known as inheritance fraud. If you respond to the fraudsters, they’ll ask you to pay various fees – taxes, legal fees or banking fees – so they can release your non-existent inheritance. Read more about how to protect yourself here: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/inheritance-fraud?fbclid=IwAR3UUZHhC0O3L57WLlmXPypqy0x1V17mHviu2n8Z1odXfTRNV73YrZ1_puc

TV Licence scam 

Most scam emails ask you to click a link but before you click anything, please check the advice below. Already put your personal details on a fake site? Call the Action Fraud Helpline on 0300 123 2040. And if this included bank account or card details, talk to your bank immediately. Read more about how to protect yourself here: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ288