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FALSE REPORTING
Bexley Police are reminding the public it is a criminal offence to make a false report that a mobile phone or any other property has been stolen.
It is believed that around 2,500 people make false reports to police across London each year, not just mobile phones but other property too and it is a serious issue for police. Not only does it give a distorted picture of what is actually happening on our streets, it diverts police resources from genuine victims of crime.
The motives for such false reports are varied but are most often to obtain insurance replacements for lost or broken mobile phones or to obtain additional benefit payments. Making such a false report constitutes a criminal offence in itself.
Detective Superintendent Darrell Shephard, Head of Crime and Intelligence for Bexley Police said, “Bexley Police are committed to providing the highest quality of service to all victims of crime. False reports however negatively impact on our ability to provide such a service, wasting valuable hours of investigation time. Additionally, it has an impact on community confidence as a false picture of crime is painted.
Officers are working closely with the mobile telephone industry, insurance companies and the benefit fraud section of the Department of Works and Pensions, to stamp out false reporting and the massive costs to all parties in investigating these allegations of theft. Our investigations ensure that false allegations of crime are eventually found out and we will take positive action against those wasting our valuable resources or committing criminal fraud. We have identified a number of such false allegations this year and have brought one such offender to justice and are presently considering action against several more.”
Bexley Police are drawing attention to this problem to advise the public against making such false reports of crime, to highlight the reality of these allegations and warn about the serious consequences that may follow if found out by police.
The public are encouraged to register mobile phones and other property such as bicycles, cameras, computer equipment in-car entertainment equipment free, on-line, at www.immobilise.com or through the Immobilise Information Line on 08701 123123 (calls are charged at local rate).
Immobilise has over 15 million account holders and over 22 million registered items. Registering your property could give you a better chance of getting it back if it is lost or stolen and subsequently recovered by police.
Mobile phones should be property marked with your postcode and house name/number using an ultraviolet pen, which is quick and easy to do. If your mobile phone comes into the possession of police they will check whether it is marked and check the electronic serial numbers to see if it is not stolen. Phones that are property marked and registered make it easier for the police to trace owners and return their property.
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