Wyre Forest residents who received expensive gifts like laptops and mobile phones for Christmas can get them property marked for free at an event in Kidderminster. West Mercia Police and community support officers, with Neighbourhood Wardens, will be marking presents with their owners’ postcodes at the Swan Centre on Saturday 22 January from 10am to 2pm as part of Operation Protect, the force’s anti-burglary campaign.
They will also be offering crime prevention advice and promoting the Immobilise website – www.immobilise.com. Immobilise is the UK national property register, and valuables can be registered for free.
Police are advising residents to make sure the expensive gifts they received at Christmas are protected from thieves. To promote the property marking initiative and to encourage people to register their items with Immobilise, Facebook advertisements are targeting users in the West Mercia force area.
Kidderminster Local Policing Officer PC Andy Forbes said: "Many people received expensive items for Christmas, and it makes sense to take a few simple steps to make sure they are as safe as possible.
"As well as laptops and mobile phones, other gifts suitable for property marking and registering on Immobilise include digital cameras, MP3 players, sat navs, games consoles, and cycles. For anyone who is unable to attend the event in the Swan Centre, property marking kits can be bought cheaply and are simple to use. Various types are available: enabling users to mark possessions with a forensic solution, which can be purchased on the internet, or ultra violet pens, which can be bought from hardware stores. Both are invisible to the naked eye.
"It is also a good idea to take a photograph of possessions."
