Celebrating 20 years of Immobilise, the National Property Register

By logging your possessions, you can increase your chances of them being returned to you if they are recovered. With close links to police and other law enforcement agencies, officers will routinely check the database to try to match recovered lost or stolen items with their rightful owners. Any updates you make – such as flagging an item as lost or stolen – are immediately available to police nationally and keeping a detailed log of your valuables can help to simplify insurance claims and police reports.

The Immobilise register is also linked with CheckMEND, the second-hand stolen property database, which can help detect stolen items and prevent them from being traded.

Marking the 20^th anniversary, Les Gray, one of the founders of Immobilise, took a moment to reflect on the platform’s success.

“When we first launched Immobilise, we knew its potential. To watch it flourish over the years and become the critical tool against crime that we knew it could be, has been really quite special,” Les commented.

“We’ve achieved a lot in the past 20 years, but there’s still so much more we can do. We’re excited about the future of Immobilise and the role it can play in making our communities safer.”

Any item with a unique identifier can be registered on Immobilise – from mobile phones and laptops to bikes, jewellery and musical instruments. If your item doesn’t have a serial number, or anything else that might help to identify it, using a marking product like a UV pen or asset label could prove useful. Adding a touch of uniqueness will help to match the item back to you as the owner. A number of marking products are sold through the Immobilise online shop, but the system will accept any identifiers, from any third party.

Visibly marking items as being registered – through labels or window stickers for your home, for example – can even help to deter thieves.

Ruari Robertson, Secured by Design, said: “I am delighted that Immobilise have achieved this landmark in successfully operating for 20 years. It is a testament to the service they provide, to the public and police forces within the UK, that has enabled them to achieve this anniversary. They are valued members of Secured by Design and we wish them continued success for the future.”

You can find out more about the Immobilise National Property Register here and the CheckMEND second-hand stolen property database here.