Report lost property online now!
While there is sometimes a happy reunion, more often than not the lost property does not find its way home. Amidst cancelling credit cards, getting new keys cut or freezing the mobile account, finding time to visit a police station to lodge a lost property report is the last thing on anyone's mind.
Reporting lost property is now just a click away
To remove some of the worry and hassle associated with reporting lost property, today SAPOL introduced an online lost property reporting system, specifically for lost items below the value of $3000. It allows people to file lost property reports from their home or office through a dedicated website, negating the need to attend a police station or phone police.
Project Manager, Chief Superintendent Paul Dickson, said the new online reporting system was expected to result in a significant reduction in lost property reports at police stations and telephone calls to the SAPOL Call Centre.
"The 'self-service' website allows members of the public to make a report of lost property and receive a reference number for insurance purposes," Chief Superintendent Dickson said.
"People can report online the loss of luggage, clothing, jewellery, keys, wallets, sporting equipment, musical instruments, electronic equipment, passports and the like," he said.
In 2009-10, 17,475 Police Incident Reports were taken with around 98 per cent of these involving property valued at less than $3000.
"On the one hand it eliminates the need for a person who may already be in a distressed state of mind to locate and travel to their nearest police station; while SAPOL front counter employees and Call Centre operators can dedicate their time to other matters," Chief Superintendent Dickson said.
When found property is handed in at a police station, counter staff can query the online lost property website to try to match it to a lost property report. This, combined with an anticipated increase in people reporting lost property online, given the greater accessibility, is expected to see more property being returned to its owners.
However, Chief Superintendent Dickson stressed that the new online system is only available for people to report property that had been lost rather than stolen, gifted, loaned or abandoned.
"It must also have been lost within South Australia when there is no need to investigate the loss as suspicious or criminal. If any of these criteria apply then a police incident report must be completed," he said.
The introduction of the lost property online reporting system follows the successful implementation of the online collision reporting system launched in September 2011. Since its inception the number of people making vehicle collision reports online has averaged around 650 per month.
