Kent's strangest stolen goods

multimediadesk@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 00:01, 06 May 2015

A bizarre collection of goods resides in Kent Police storerooms, waiting for their rightful owners to come forward.

As well as items you would expect thieves to target - bikes, sat navs, jewellery - there is a selection of stranger possessions that have not yet been claimed.

From ancient statues to telescopic gun sights, here are some of the odder items currently resting on police shelves.

A telescopic sight, reference 54/2015/YY

These items - and more - can be found on the ‘Is it Yours?’ section of the Kent Police website.

The page aims to reunite stolen goods with their rightful owners and has now been rolled out across the county.

'Is it Yours?' contains photos of items seized during enforcement operations where the true owner has not been identified.

Tiny Chinese statues, reference 73/2015/YY

A Kent Police spokesman said: "The initiative gives us the opportunity to build on the successes we are already having in returning stolen items to their rightful owners.

"Burglary can have devastating consequences for victims, and although we are doing all we can to reduce these offences and arrest those responsible, it is equally important we try and give people a happy ending by reuniting them with their belongings."

Whatever this is... reference 3881/2015/YY/JB3

If you've had something stolen and haven't got it back, it's worth taking a look at the website - stolen goods are not kept for ever.

Police say if no-one comes forward, items will be auctioned off for charity, but exactly how long different things are kept depends on the circumstances.

And if police can't prove goods are stolen, officers have to return them to the person they seized them from.

A collection of fob watches, reference 20/2014/YY

Anyone attempting to claim stolen property will need to prove that the item is theirs before officers hand it over.

Police say this could be done using photographs, a detailed description, particularly of any unique features, or through serial numbers or receipts.

Security marking property also helps.

A white tambourine, reference 29/2015/XY

A Kent Police spokesman said: "It is worth remembering that victims of crime stand a far greater chance of having stolen belongings returned by security-marking items such as bikes and power tools and making sure electronic devices, including phones and tablets, are logged on the property marking database www.immobilise.com.

"We would also encourage people to take photographs of any distinctive items they purchase, to help us ensure they are returned as soon as possible if stolen."