New website can help robbery victims

A new, free online database of stolen and recovered property helps members of the public to avoid unwittingly buying stolen goods.

New website can help robbery victims

By Stephen Cadogan

A new, free online database of stolen and recovered property helps members of the public to avoid unwittingly buying stolen goods.

It also helps victims of theft locate their property faster.

The website founder, Ivan Sheridan, set it up after a close friend’s farm and business in Kilkenny were robbed within weeks of one another.

The friend had put distinguishing markings on some of the farm machinery, much of which was recovered, having been spotted for sale online.

However, nothing taken in the break-in at the friend’s business was ever found.

The www.theftfinders.ie website allows the public to register, report and locate stolen or lost property, and to register, locate and claim their recovered goods for free.

Over 2,000 thefts on farms are reported to the Gardai every year, and the true incidence is believed to be far higher, with perhaps as much as 45% of these agricultural crimes going unreported.

Nearly half of all farmers may have experienced theft at some stage, and there are estimates that only 8% of stolen assets is ever recovered.

Ivan Sheridan, a former builder and publican, says: “Our site is designed to help victims of crime recover their stolen goods.

It also assists the Gardaí, who often struggle to get recovered property back to its rightful owner when they uncover large caches of stolen goods. Items such as jewellery, power tools, phones and other goods can be difficult to identify, unless their owners have noted serial numbers, any distinct markings, etc.

He said Theftfinders.ie can also reduce the chance of opportunist criminals selling stolen goods to unsuspecting members of the public.

“As the site develops, more and people are logging details, distinguishing marks, serial numbers and pictures of stolen goods, thus reducing the potential for those goods to be sold either online or at car boot sales and other events.

If a member of the public spots something for sale which they suspect is stolen property, and it matches the description of an item on our site, they can report it to the owner by simply pressing the Report as Seen’ button.

“This notifies the owner of the exact location of their property, in real time,” Mr Sheridan said.

The site includes popular categories such as vehicles, household items and bikes as well as farm machinery, tools, jewellery, construction equipment, farm animals, pets, trailers, sports and musical equipment and more.

This makes it easier for website visitors to spot something they’ve had stolen or might have lost, and easier for the public to report goods they think may be stolen.

In the asset management section, users can create a portfolio of their valuable goods, such as jewellery, bikes, power tools, garden equipment and more.

Details required for logging items include serial numbers, hallmarks, distinguishing markings on property, images of the property etc.

“The logging system is like a person’s very own safety deposit box, and is set to be an invaluable resource for householders, but even more so for the construction, plant hire and farming communities which are often hounded by criminals,” said Mr Sheridan.

“If items in someone’s asset management section are stolen, details of the stolen items can be transferred to the stolen section at the click of a button.

"The list will also be an invaluable reference for the Gardaí, insurance companies etc. This feature will greatly increase a victim of crime’s chances of retrieving their property if they are recovered during Garda searches or other probes.

“This feature of the site is totally secure. The only person who knows what a person puts into their Asset Management portfolio is the owner.

“We at Theft Finders can’t access this section, and we built it this way, so the facility is safe and secure.

“While all other sections of the site are free, a small fee of €1 per item logged applies for the Asset Management Facility,” he said.

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