Would you know the manufacturer, model, and serial number of your computer if it was stolen? If you can locate the receipt, you should be able to determine the manufacturer and model. Unless you’ve gone to great lengths to write down the serial number, your computer will be just like the millions of others taken around the nation.

If the serial number of a stolen item was known, it might be spread as stolen throughout the nation, much like a stolen car’s registration number.

Not only are your odds of having unidentified items back slim, but it may also be difficult to establish a case against a suspect if you can’t show an item was taken. It’s not tough to apprehend criminals. Obtaining proof is!

Don’t limit your list to high-priced things like laptops and their accessories. Thieves are equally as interested in phones and other electronic items.

Online registers
Immobilise is the world’s biggest free registry of possession ownership data, and it works in tandem with its sister sites, the Police’s National Mobile Property Register and CheckMEND to assist returning stolen personal property to its rightful owners.

Members of the public and companies may utilise Immobilise to register their valuable things or business assets, and all account holders’ registered objects and ownership information are visible on the Police national property database, the NMPR.

All UK police services utilise this internet checking tool to locate owners of lost and stolen items. Immobilise is also reviewed on a daily basis by a large number of recovery organisations and lost property offices.

Over 250 cases are resolved or information is gathered each week as a direct consequence of Immobilise, assisting the police in investigating criminal activities involving stolen items.

Police Scotland and the mobile phone industry endorse Immobilise as the exclusive ownership registration service.

Marking with ultraviolet pens

Ultraviolet marker pens cost about £1.00 and can be found at most decent stationers, security stores, and so forth.

These felt-tip pens are made to write on your property, including audio/visual equipment, using ink that is invisible to the naked eye in normal light.

All of the country’s police stations have portable lights that clearly highlight the lettering on such items.

It is feasible to find an owner from anywhere in the nation by writing your postcode followed by the street number or the first three letters of your property’s name.

But first, a few pointers. Always write your postcode on the bottom of your things, since it can be seen on non-porous surfaces, and aim to renew every twelve months. Don’t be concerned about a possible relocation. Postcode your products once again. The cops will just have to make two or three phone calls instead of two or three thousand to find an owner.

Branding irons

Although covertly labelling things may be excellent for specific items, it is much preferable to make this identification evident to a thief, preventing theft in the first place!

From complicated branding irons that can emboss your business name or postcode into the surface to a package that comprises a pre-arranged stencil and acidic paste for precisely marking any surface, there are a number of solutions available. Systems do not have to be prohibitively costly. Some schools simply produce a postcode stencil out of thin cardboard and spray all of their equipment with a paint that “eats” into the surface. First, test it on a sample!

Photograph your possessions

A picture is worth a thousand words when it comes to little goods that can’t be readily postcoded with an ultra-violet pen.

Photographing all things against a ruler is preferable to provide a full description since it makes comparisons with discovered items simpler. If you have a video camera with a “Macro” lens (for close-up shooting), videotape everything you own.

Most thieves would not want to take objects that are properly tagged such that the genuine owner is always evident. This has the advantage of lowering the amount of security required to safeguard a structure.

Liquid Forensic Coded Solutions
A technology of painting a specific forensically coded solution over goods ranging from giant TVs to motorcycles has become highly popular in recent years. Only ultraviolet light can reveal this “smart water”-type solution.

The paint code is recorded at the Home Office forensic science laboratory for each batch of painting solution prepared particularly for one client. A small paint sample is extracted for inspection if the object is stolen and recovered by the police. It is feasible to trace the genuine owner with this swab.

We believe that crime prevention is better than cure. A burglar alarm and CCTV system from Ultimate Alarms can protect your property in Glasgow & west central Scotland