Your Possessions - Crime Prevention - Surrey Police

How to Mark Your Possessions

There are several ways of marking your things, depending on what the object is.

Engraving or etching - Suitable for a lot of hard surfaces, this can be done using an electronic engraving tool or a hand engraver. With this method, you can leave a visible and permanent mark.

Ultra-Violet, or 'invisible' marking - An Ultra-Violet (UV) pen will put an invisible mark on your things which can only be seen using a UV lamp. You should only do this when other methods would reduce the value of the object, as obviously a thief will not be deterred if he/she can't see the markings. Also, remember that the mark you make can fade in time, especially when exposed to sunlight, and can also be washed off.

Ceramic marking pens - Developed to mark china, glass or any glazed surface, these will leave a permanent mark and will not scratch the surface.

Punching - For heavier metal items, such as lawn mowers, use a set of punches and hammer, which you can find at a stationers or DIY store. Where you mark your property is important: if want to keep it out of sight, don't choose somewhere the police would have difficulty in finding. With commercial items, the mark should be so secure that removal would deface the property.

Please note that marking things like jewellery or antiques is difficult and could reduce their value. In these cases we recommend you get expert advice, and perhaps find other means of keeping track of your possessions.

Items That Can't Be Marked

You can still protect items that can't be marked by keeping a record of them. A simple and effective way of doing this is to photograph each item, preferably in colour, paying special attention to any distinguishing marks to take away the potential for doubt of identification should the occasion arise.

Take the photograph against a plain background, and include a ruler to give an idea of size. You should then store these pictures (along with a list of all your marked items) safely somewhere - make sure they would be safe in the event of a fire.

For extra security, you could then make duplicates of all the photographs and ask a trusted friend to look after them.

Mobiles on the Move

As you may well have read about or seen on the TV in recent weeks, there has been a steady rise in mobile phone theft - not just in Surrey, but all over the country. Recorded phone crime is now at its highest level since mobiles became an everyday part of our lives.

True, a great many of these 'thefts' are nothing more than false claims, users who want to upgrade to the latest model. Instead of paying for a new one they get rid of the old one and claim on the insurance (a crime in its own right). Real thefts are happening, though, and the perpetrators are taking on more and more reckless and disturbing methods.

Using mobiles to make phone calls is only a part of these magical little devices these days. How many of us own a handset as a replacement for a personal organiser? Numbers, addresses, birthdays, meetings, reminders, computer documents, not to mention all those personal text messages. It's hard to imagine how we coped before their arrival.

The trouble is, we're falling victim to the success of the technology we all crave. Where there is a need, there is demand; where there is demand, there is a market.and, unfortunately, crime. It's been that way for centuries. But phone theft is so much more than an annoyance. It's not just about money, it's about losing your privacy, and in one short moment - sometimes careless, sometimes brutally out of our control - a great deal of what we know and rely on can be taken away.

One of the problems is that mobile phones is that they're in constant use, so to lock them away all the time would defeat the object of their purpose. They're on constant display to the unscrupulous, whether we're using them in the street or leaving them on our desks at work.

Below are a few security tips. None of us can be fully safe, but follow these simple pointers and you will be at least reducing the risk of theft significantly.

• Make a note of your phone's unique IMEI number - you can get this by tapping in *#06#. Write it down, keep it safe (but not on your phone!), and give it to the police and your network supplier if your phone happens to be stolen
• Always use your phone's security lock code or PIN number - this is not just to stop you from making accidental calls while the phone's stuffed into your back pocket. Make a thief's job as hard as possible
• Security mark the phone and battery with your post code and street number (or the first two letters of your house name) - your police crime reduction office can advise on property marking.
• When using your phone, be aware of your surroundings and the people around you
• Be discreet - fancy and trendy ringtones can be a laugh, but they also advertise your phone to everyone. Sometimes it might be better to simply switch off the ring and use the vibrate alert if you have one
• Avoid keeping your phone in public view - don't walk around with on display on your belt, round your neck or at the top of an open handbag, and NEVER leave it lying around your desk at work or school, it takes less than a couple of seconds to lift something that small
• Never give your mobile phone to strangers who ask to use it

If your phone is stolen, tell your network supplier immediately, the last thing you need on top of your situation is a huge phone bill.

Then call Surrey Police, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.