Police warn people to safeguard Christmas presents (From Gazette Series)

Gloucestershire Police are urging people to safeguard their Christmas gifts including ipads, mobile phones and computer games

5:20pm Tuesday 22nd January 2013 in News By Daniel Chipperfield

GLOUCESTERSHIRE Police are asking people to safeguard their Christmas presents.

Now the festive period has passed, Gloucestershire Constabulary is reminding people to register the serial numbers of their valuable items without delay.

People with a new computer tablet, games console, mobile phone or bicycle have the opportunity to protect their expensive goods by keeping a record of the serial numbers as well as marking them.

In addition all valuable items should be security marked with either an Ultra Violet pen or with a forensic property marking kit.

PCSO Kim Graham of Cheltenham South Local Policing Team, said: "We have recently identified three bicycles and various mobile phones because their owners took a few minutes to register them with Immobilise, and a quick check on cycles with an Ultra Violet torch has allowed us to return four other cycles to their rightful owners."

While the chance of items being stolen is low, it is often difficult to match property to the owner.

The constabulary’s property offices across the county have a number of bikes, laptops and phones that they can’t reunite with their owners as they haven’t been security marked.

You can do the registering of your gadgets and cycles via website: www.immobilise.com To register your bike, visit website: www.bikeregister.com