Recipero News
Recipero and its portfolio of services generate noteworthy news on a frequent basis; below we have a selection of several interesting news stories encompassing Recipero and major news about our products. For more product specific news about services such as CheckMEND and Immobilise UK/Immobilize US please visit the individual product websites.
Alternatively you may like to visit the Recipero News & Comment Blog at blog.recipero.com or follow us on twitter: @recipero
If you have any queries about Recipero please contact us.
Sims Recycling Solutions integrates CheckMEND as they expand into Mobile Devices
(May 2013)
Sims Recycling Solutions, a global leader in electronics reuse and recycling, has announced it that it has expanded its U.S. asset management services to include mobile devices, such as feature phones, smartphones and tablets.
Based on the most recent numbers from International Data Corp., it's clear that mobile devices, especially smartphones, have continued to erode personal computer sales. Worldwide PC shipments totaled only 76.3 million units in the first quarter of 2013, while worldwide smartphone shipments totaled 216.2 million units. Sims realises this technology shift is changing asset management practices, so the company has invested in the resources necessary to successfully manage the unique challenges associated with mobile devices.
As an extension of our existing asset management services, we have added new ones that simplify the task of managing mobile devices; stated Steve Skurnac, president, Sims Recycling Solutions, Americas.
By using our established global infrastructure, technical expertise and strategic partnerships, Sims is able to fully support the needs of those customers with broken, end-of-life or surplus devices. Our customers can be confident that the same secure, certified and environmentally sound procedures we use to process other electronics will be used to refurbish, remarket and recycle their mobile devices.
To protect its customers from two problems that plague the used mobile device market—stolen devices and fluctuating prices – Sims has signed an agreement with CheckMEND, the world's largest source of information about used electronics and developed a proprietary system called Price Base.
Through its partnership with CheckMEND, Sims can perform the due diligence necessary to assure customers that the devices the company offers for resale are legitimate. Sims has integrated the CheckMEND application into its inventory management system to automatically check cellphones and tablets when they arrive at a Sims facility. Items with negative report results will be flagged and dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The Price Base system gives Sims the ability to research every available mobile device and know its current value so Sims can competitively price used devices.
Sim Recycling Solutions: www.simsrecycling.com
CheckMEND and GameStop Partner to Strengthen Electronic Trade-in Program
(May 2013)
CheckMEND the world's leading due diligence service for used consumer electronics today announced it has secured an agreement with GameStop to deploy its software in all GameStop's US stores to identify devices that are not eligible for trade.
Developed by UK-based Recipero, CheckMEND is a unique, cutting edge system that allows retailers and recyclers to proactively identify unacceptable devices and stop them from entering the supply chain.
Using data that is aggregated from over 20,000 data sources (including the FBI) CheckMEND provides access to its service to both enterprise and consumers. GameStop is the first major retailer in the US to integrate its application at point of sale. With a data warehouse containing over 150 billion records of information that is relevant to any buyer of used consumer electronics, CheckMEND is fast becoming the "go-to" data provider for this type of information.
Consumers are becoming more aware of the value that exists in their old electronics. That precipitates a need for reliable data and methods to ensure that retailers are protecting consumers. GameStop is leading the way for other retailers to follow suit.
"We are delighted that GameStop has stepped up to the forefront of consumer protection" said Adrian Portlock Founder of CheckMEND. "Our product allows GameStop to protect their customers, their associates in store and their reputable brand by deterring unwanted activity. GameStop has set the bar for other responsible retailers."
"GameStop will continue to invest in technology solutions that offer our customers the best and safest choice to buy, sell or trade video games, consoles and electronics" said Joe Gorman Vice President of Mobile at GameStop. "Working with CheckMEND, we have further enhanced our process, and we are already reaping the benefits of the service in our stores and our state of the art refurbishment center."
Click here to download the complete Gamestop article (PDF download)
West Midlands Police sign up to Code of Practice to stop sale of stolen goods
(January 2013)
West Midlands Police are one of the first forces in the country to fully embrace a new code of practice aimed at slamming the door in the face of thieves trying to sell stolen goods.
A Home Office Code of Practice encourages forces to get second hand stores signed up to a scheme where they check all items offered up for sale against the CheckMEND database which logs if goods have been recorded as lost or stolen.
The force have hundreds of stores such as Cash Converters, Cash Generator, Cex and other independent second hand stores signed up to the scheme and are launching it in style on 23 January with an Impact Activation Day.
On the day officers across the force will be at second hand stores, schools and shopping centres registering goods onto the immobilise database for free.
Each of the stores who have signed up check items offered for sale against the CheckMEND site. Each search generates a unique certificate number. This can be issued to a potential buyer to prove that at the time of purchase the item was not reported lost or stolen and no adverse information was recorded against it.
David Bursey from Byte size Solutions in Kings Heath, Birmingham said: "Now we can use CheckMEND we can buy items from people who come in off the street. We have been dubious about doing that in the past because we have not been able to trace the history of the item. This has opened up new possibilities in how we can conduct our business that is of real benefit to us and our customers. The more the public register their goods on immobilise, the more effective the system will be."
YouTube video explaining how the system works:
Click here to download the full West Midlands Police article
Gazelle – Leading USA consumer electronics reseller deploys CheckMEND to help identify fraud
(November 2012)
Gazelle, one of the USA's leading high-end consumer trade-in sites, today announced it has deployed CheckMEND, a cutting-edge tool, designed to more accurately detect potentially stolen goods, including smart phones, tablets and computers.
Developed by Recipero, the largest Worlds largest consumer electronics background report service, the tool compiles data from all major wireless carriers and law enforcement entities across the USA, providing the most complete database of devices available. Gazelle is the first consumer electronics trade-in site to deploy CheckMend and collaborated with Recipero to tailor the product to help address the growing incidences of consumer electronics theft.
For Gazelle the introduction of CheckMEND comes at a good time with the proliferation of high-end consumer electronics theft. In fact, New York City's police commissioner recently reported that Apple products now represent more than 40 percent of stolen property in the city and San Francisco police report that nearly half of all robberies in the city in the past year have been cell phone related.
"We are dedicated to providing the best customer experience possible, and part of that promise is to protect each customer's personal data," said Israel Ganot, CEO, Gazelle.
"We always take security very seriously. With the CheckMEND deployment, we're taking this to a new level, committing not only to the protection of a customer's personal data when we receive the device, but also going the extra mile to ensure that any devices we accept are being sold by the rightful owner and to discourage and prevent theft of consumer electronics."
Recipero makes it possible to do a more thorough screening by checking a vast set of carrier and law enforcement sources for a much broader set of consumer electronics. CheckMEND is capable of comparing each inquiry against more than 150 billion records of information, including more than 50 billion items.
Recipero connects to the USA blocked IMEI database
(November 2012)
We are pleased to announce Recipero is now connected to the USA blocked IMEI cross carriers database and able to confirm if a cell phone is blocked across networks by TMobile and Verizon. This is of massive benefit to our global customer base, especially in the USA who will be able to check GSM handsets for this information.
Adrian Portlock, Recipero said "This is a huge step forward for Recipero and allows people in the USA who use CheckMEND to uniquely get results from one place from the three most important databases available to consumers, GSM, CDMA and FBI to ensure what they are buying or selling is legitimate and will function correctly"
CheckMEND connects to the US CDMA ESN/MEID carriers database
(October 2012)
We are pleased to announce CheckMEND is now connected to the US CDMA ESN/MEID carriers database and able to confirm if a cell phone is under an agreement and can not be transferred, or has been recorded as lost or stolen. This is of massive benefit to our global customer base, especially in the US who will be able to check CDMA handsets.
Adrian Portlock, Recipero said "This is another feather in the cap for CheckMEND while you could always check a GSM phone we were missing data that would allow our customers to check a handset with a ESN/MEID identifier which they can do now."
CheckMEND adds finance data to its history report service
(May 2012)
As of the 9th May 2012 Recipero's CheckMEND due diligence and compliance service will be checking millions of records supplied by finance providers.
The benefit of this to users of CheckMEND is that if the item you are checking has an outstanding finance agreement this fact will be included in the history report.
The inclusion of finance information is certain to be a useful addition to the service as many CheckMEND clients have informed us that handling such goods is a major issue and concern for them that they wish to prevent.
Recipero awarded the prestigious ISO9001 accreditation.
(March 2012)
Recipero is delighted to announce it has been awarded the prestigious ISO9001 accreditation. Les Gray Recipero's designated lead on this project said"
"We are delighted to have been formally awarded this accreditation. We have always worked within a framework of management processes and standards not dissimilar to ISO9001 and this now allows us to work towards several other accreditations we would like to achieve."
Learn more about this accreditation »
USA Citizens become more aware of stolen cell phones!
(February 2012)
Following the recent announcement that that the CJIS sub-committee that controls access to the FBI Stolen Articles file has unanimously agreed that the arrangement to supply the information to the Trace service should be made permanent Recipero has seen a major increase in the number of checks being carried out by US citizens on the service.
Les Gray, Recipero IT Director who attended the meeting in St Louis Missouri along with Ken Bouche, Recipero's USA law enforcement liaison said:
"We are delighted that the FBI can see the value of providing this data to allow the public to check if an item they are buying is recorded as stolen with them. It helps enormously to cut down the markets for the disposal of stolen goods including online auction and classified sites...".
For more information please go to: www.tracechecker.com
London Mayor Boris Johnson joins the Immobilise Property Register
(January 2012)
As part of the launch of Mayor Boris Johnson's YOU Matter (Youth Organisations in Uniform) programme, the Mayor has become a member of the Immobilise National Property Register with the aid of the Merton Volunteer Police Cadets.
Volunteer Police Cadets demonstrated Merton Police's latest crime fighting kit, a laptop and scanner provided by the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU), which uploads mobile phone IMEI numbers to the secure crime prevention web site at immobilise.com
"I would say to any young person, come on and give it a go!"
Using the Mayor's own phone, the Cadets explained how police use the unique IMEI number to identify stolen mobile phones and arrest offenders, whilst registering his handset on the free property protection database.
In plans outlined by the Mayor today, thousands of youngsters will have the opportunity to join uniformed groups like the Volunteer Police Cadets, Guides, Scouts and Armed Forces Cadets. The £1.3 million programme, being run by the Safer London Foundation, will help young people develop vital skills and instil discipline and responsibility in young people, particularly those who are or at risk of being excluded from education, training or employment.
The initiative is part of Team London, the Mayor's strategy to harness volunteers to deliver key projects to improve the quality of life and opportunities of Londoners.
Speaking at the Merton Sea Cadets Centre for the launch, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:
"Uniformed groups are a fantastic way for youngsters to get involved in a myriad of activities, which will help equip them with the skills they need to succeed in life. It's a modern tragedy that so many of our young people are struggling to get a foothold in the jobs market and are drifting into crime. By instilling self reliance, discipline and a sense of competition, young people can aspire to a better future."
For more information and to read the source article please visit: The MET Police Website »
Recipero and Trace secure continuation of access to the FBI Stolen Articles file
(06 May 2011)
Recipero is pleased to announce that the CJIS sub- committee that controls access to the FBI Stolen Articles file on the NCIC database has unanimously agreed that the arrangement to supply the information to the Trace service operated by Recipero should be made permanent and will recommend this to the full committee at its next meeting.
Les Gray, Recipero IT Director who attended the meeting in St Louis Missouri along with Ken Bouche, Recipero's USA law enforcement liaison said:
"We are delighted that the FBI can see the value of providing this data to allow the public to check if an item they are buying is recorded as stolen with them. It helps enormously to cut down the markets for the disposal of stolen goods including online auction and classified sites. The moral here is if you are buying used goods check them with us first and if you are selling stolen goods beware as you may well be caught out"
Notes for readers: The NCIC file is a file of stolen property that is contributed to by all the USA law enforcement agencies. Recipero receives a copy of the entries that have the make model and serial number of the stolen item along with the name of the originating agency. This allows Recipero to operate the FREE USA Trace system at www.tracechecker.com and also to search the information in their CheckMEND life history report service.
For more information please go to: www.tracechecker.com
Recipero gets Best Bootstrapped/non VC Funded Company Award
(14 April 2011)
Recipero is very pleased to announce that it has received an award as the Best Bootstrapped/Non VC Funded Company in the Telegraph Newspapers Europe's Top 100 Technology Start-Ups.
Neil Stewart Commercial Director of Recipero said:
"we smiled to ourselves when we heard about this, we had so many discussions in the past about whether to fund the company to profitability ourselves or whether to take in external investors – seems we were right to hold onto the stock as we now have a very successful company which we own 100%"
For more information about the Telegraph Start-up 100 please go to: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-startup100/
If you are interested in the methodology behind the selection please see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-startup100/8397541/Start-Up-100-let-judging-commence.html
Recipero selected as one of Europe's Top 100 Technology Start Ups by Telegraph Newspaper
(05 April 2011)
Recipero is very pleased to announce that it has been chosen by the Telegraph Newspaper as one of Europe's Top 100 Technology Start-Ups and has moved into the final round of judging.
The Telegraph has collected and filtered some of the most exciting Tech companies from all over Europe and over the past 6 months a panel of expert judges has whittled that list down to just a hundred that make up the "Telegraph Tech Start-Up 100: Class of 2011".
Recipero is being considered in the category of "Enterprise: Security, Storage, Collaboration, Databases" along with 15 other Tech Companies that make up the 100. The overall winner, runner-up and the individual category winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in London on 12 April.
The "Telegraph Tech Start-Up 100" is a relatively new list, but attempts to be the most reliable, authoritative and trustworthy guide to exciting young tech companies throughout Europe. It is judged by a panel of world-class industry experts, serial entrepreneurs, investors and the like, who are themselves judged have the knowledge and experience to give an expert and realistic opinion. For more about the Telegraph Tech Start-Up 100 please go to: www.telegraph.co.uk/startup100
Ross Stewart Chairman of Recipero said:
"we are delighted that our hard work and enterprise has been recognised by the judges of this competition. As a privately funded company with no outside VC type investors it is quite hard to get noticed in the Technology sector but this should start to make people aware of what we do and how successful we are at doing it."
For more information about the Telegraph Start-up 100 please go to: www.telegraph.co.uk/startup100
If you are interested in the methodology behind the selection please see: www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/technology-startup100/8397541/Start-Up-100-let-judging-commence.html
Recipero integrates with the UK Police National Computer.
(April 2011)
Recipero the UK based data organisation has announced today that it has successfully integrated access to its databases of information with the UK Police National Computer (PNC).
This is the culmination of nearly two years work following a decision from the UK Home Office that this would be beneficial to front line policing in the UK by helping to provide intelligence based around serial numbered goods associated with criminal activity.
Les Gray the IT Director of Recipero who lead the project said:
"This is a major achievement for us as a company as few private companies have ever achieved the accreditation required to allow this. It also reflects the value that the Police and the authorities place on the data we hold."
To visit the NMPR please go to: www.thenmpr.com
For more about the PNC please go to: www.npia.police.uk
Recipero awarded Secure Communities Network accreditation by the NPIA
(April 2011)
This accreditation demonstrates that Recipero's NMPR application and its connection to PNC meets the rigorous security standards required of Secure Communities Network members. Accreditation has been achieved after months of auditing and testing of Recipero's systems by independent security advisors appointed by the NPIA. This connection also enables a secure email path to recipero.scn.gov.uk through which Police and Government agencies may exchange classified information with Recipero.
Adrian Portlock CEO of Recipero said:
"this is a major milestone for Recipero and shows our commitment to the security and integrity of our services. I think it is fair to say that this sort of Accreditation is normally only achieved by the larger organisations in this market so as a niche provider we are very proud of this achievement."
For more information please contact us .
Recipero announce renewal of a major IT contract with UK Police
(March 2011)
Recipero the UK based software and Data Company has recently announced the renewal of a major new contract with the UK Police to provide access to its data via the National Mobile Property Register (NMPR) and the Police National Computer (PNC).
Neil Stewart Recipero's Commercial Director said:
"In these tough economic conditions we are delighted to have concluded the renewal of the contract for these services, the UK law enforcement community are a really important client for us and their continued support gives huge credence to our proposition that serial numbered goods are an excellent way of garnering intelligence when they are involved in criminal activity."
To visit the NMPR please go to: www.thenmpr.com
Recipero announces first major contract in the USA
(February 2011)
Recipero the UK based data company has today announced it has reached agreement with a major US recycler.
The agreement will see Recipero's retail compliance software in thousands of US retail outlets by the end of 2011. Adrian Portlock CEO of Recipero said:
"This is only the preliminary announcement of the deal full details will be released over the coming weeks after the integration of the service is complete. What I can say is that this is a really exciting development for us as we see huge potential in the US for our services"
For details of Recipero's services please go to: Products & Services
CheckMEND officially adopted by phone recycling industry and Home Office code of practice
(July 2010)
CheckMEND was officially adopted today as the preferred due diligence tool for the UK recycling industry under new Home Office/Industry code of practice.
Today July 23rd it was officially agreed that CheckMEND would be the first approved due diligence service to be used and officially endorsed under a new Home Office/recycling industry code of practice.
The signing of the new code of practice by over 90% of the mobile phone recycling industry means that for the first time there are agreed guidelines for the checking of handsets offered for sale to the industry and this includes using the CheckMEND service to check the National Mobile Phone/Property Register.
Adrian Portlock CEO of Recipero the operator of CheckMEND said;
"this is a major step forward for the industry and CheckMEND and we are really pleased the industry has recognised their responsibilities in checking products they are buying, this model needs to be extended to all handlers of used goods and retailers taking trade ins and we will be pushing for this to be the case, but this is an excellent start."
For more information please go to:
CheckMEND - www.checkmend.com
Phone Recycling Code of Practice site - www.stoprecycledstolenphones.com
Home Office Press Release - www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/press-releases/code-practice-stolen-mobiles
The Police NMPR (National Mobile Phone/Property Register) - www.thenmpr.com
Immobilise National Property Register - www.immobilise.com
Recipero - www.recipero.com
Boston Police Trial the new CheckMEND service in USA
(June 2010)
Boston Police have today (30th June 2010) agreed to a 30 day trial of the new CheckMEND service in the USA prior to it going live with all pawn and second-hand dealers in their jurisdiction. If the trial is successful Recipero see this as a very exciting opportunity to extend the service to every US law enforcement agency to create a national free transaction submission and Police checking service.
Unlike Europe second hand dealers and pawnbrokers in the US have to supply details of transactions to their local law enforcement agencies so CheckMEND has widened its remit to include this in the process of running a due diligence check. At the same time Recipero, the owner of CheckMEND, has rewritten its US NMPR platform so free of charge US law enforcement will be able to view CheckMEND transaction data via the US NMPR as well as being able to match the data with crime reports provided to the NMPR (via the Trace Checker system) from over 18,000 US law enforcement agencies.
Ken Bouche who leads business development for CheckMEND and Trace Checker in the US said “This is the culmination of over 2 years work to allow traders and pawn brokers to supply for free transaction data to an online database that can be checked also free of charge by the Police. Bolting on the stolen data from Trace Checker which Recipero took over late in 2009 is inspired and provides a whole new service for the trade to ensure they are not buying stolen or dubious goods that have been reported as stolen to their local law enforcement agency. If the service grows to be as popular in the US as it is in Europe this will be a very significant step for forward for everyone involved”
For more information please contact us.
Best Buy UK launch trade-in scheme incorporating the CheckMEND service
(June 2010)
As of June 2010 the Best Buy have launched their trade-in scheme in their new UK stores and every item will be checked in real-time on Recipero's CheckMEND due diligence service.
The system has been integrated with the Best Buy systems allowing them to ensure only 'bona fide' customers can benefit from their trade-in offers.
With nearly 50 billion items of serial numbered goods recorded CheckMEND is the world's largest database of stolen goods, making it an obvious partner for Best Buy.
For more information please go to:
Best Buy UK: www.bestbuy.co.uk
CheckMEND Website: www.checkmend.com
Recipero's CheckMEND service leads Police to successful prosecution of stolen goods seller
(May 2010)
CheckMEND service in conjunction with the Police's NMPR system has proven to be a key tool in the identification and prosecution of crimes related to stolen goods.
On the 14th May, a man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for handling stolen goods after a two year investigation conducted by Avon and Somerset Police's burglary team and crime reduction unit in Bristol.
For more information please go to:
Recipero's News blog: blog.recipero.com
CheckMEND Website: www.checkmend.com
Recipero Secure Contract to Provide Blocking Systems to Asian Networks
(February 2010)
Recipero is pleased to have secured a contract to provide the Avalon real-time stolen phone blocking system to Asian networks.
The contract will allow consumers to report their phones as stolen to their home network and be blocked within minutes across all participating networks.
For more information please go to: Asian Network Blocking System
Recipero acquires two U.S. due-diligence businesses
(January 2010)
CheckMEND the world’s largest due-diligence service which is owned by Recipero is delighted to announce the recent acquisitions of two US centric businesses, the Trace due-diligence system and PhoneHistoryReport stolen phone checking service.
The data from both businesses will be incorporated into the CheckMEND service over the next few weeks.
Both services will complement the existing CheckMEND service providing millions of new records to the CheckMEND website. Of particular note is that the acquisition of Trace will allow CheckMEND to access stolen property data from over 18,000 US law enforcement agencies vastly expanding their reach in the US market.
Adrian Portlock CEO of Recipero commented:
"These two acquisitions are strategically very important to us as we look to replicate the huge success of CheckMEND in the UK and Europe in the USA. We are already talking to a range of organisations who wish to use the new enhanced CheckMEND service in the US and we are very excited about the potential opportunities this provides to the US consumer buying and selling on sites such as EBay and Craig’s List."
For more information please visit the following links:
Recipero News Blog: blog.recipero.com
CheckMEND Website: www.checkmend.com
CheckMEND Service details (Recipero Site): CheckMEND service information
Carphone Warehouse PLC chooses CheckMEND as its due diligence partner
(June 2009)
As of the 8th June the Carphone Warehouse have extended their trade-in scheme to include iPods and GPS equipment. Every item is checked in real-time on Recipero's CheckMEND due diligence service.
The system has been integrated with Carphone Warehouse's EPOS systems in over 800 UK stores, their website, and direct sales channels, allowing them to ensure only 'bona fide' customers can benefit from their trade-in offers.
With nearly 50 billion items of serial numbered goods recorded CheckMEND is the world's largest database of stolen goods, making it an obvious partner for Carphone Warehouse.
For more information please visit the following links:
ReportMyLoss wins a birthday award
(April 2009)
On the anniversary of its first year of operation, Avon and Somerset Constabulary has just announced that Reportmyloss.com has won an award in this years’ Problem Solving Competition.
The competition serves to recognise initiatives that bring direct and significant improvements in service to the public.
Reportmyloss was introduced by the Force as a quick and effective way to record lost property. It continues to go from strength to strength, with over 70% of the Force’s lost reports being submitted online. The system has helped to reunite thousands of items with their owners and to reduce the numbers of calls to their Force Service Centre.
For more information please visit the following links:
ReportMyLoss service information
Home Office funding to link the PNC (Police National Computer) to the NMPR
(March 2009)
The Home Office has recently announced that £250,000 of funding has been made available to help police more swiftly identify stolen mobile phones.
The scheme will see the Police National Computer (PNC) linked to the National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR) which is provided by Recipero. This will enable frontline officers to quickly and easily check if a phone has been registered as stolen from its rightful owner.
Home Office Minister, Alan Campbell said:
"By working closely with the mobile phone industry we have already put in place measures to make it harder for thieves to profit from mobile phone theft – around 90% of handsets reported stolen are now blocked within 24 hours of reporting reducing their value and the incentive for thieves."
"Linking the National Mobile Phone Register to the Police National Computer will also provide enormous benefits to the fight against mobile phone crime. Currently an average of 25% of searches result in the police obtaining vital information that could result in property being retrieved and cases being solved. I believe that putting this invaluable tool at frontline officer’s fingertips will see that number rise further."
Assistant Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Polices and Association of Chief Police Officers’ lead on mobile phone crime, Tim Godwin said;
"The National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR) has been a key driver in tackling mobile phone crime, allowing police to check the current status of a mobile phone through a simple online search. Its use has already contributed to year-on-year reductions in mobile phone crime."
"With the advent of new technology and developing initiatives like mobile banking/payment it is essential that we continue to improve policing tools to tackle mobile phone related criminality. This funding will improve the accessibility and efficiency of the NMPR, allowing police forces across the country to target acquisitive crime involving mobile phones."
For more information please visit the following links:
Recipero News Feature: Proposals for broader Police access to the NMPR
Official Home Office press release: New funding to tackle mobile phone crime
NPIA Police National Computer (PNC)
National Mobile Phone Crime Unit
The National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR)
Police intensify their support of Immobilise
(January 2009)
Numerous Police forces throughout the UK have escalated their support of the Immobilise National property registration system over the Christmas / New Year period.
On-going police operations, promotions and special property marking events throughout the UK are helping the Police spread the message that registering property on Immobilise is a valuable tool in helping detect, deter and combat crime of many types.
For localised news reports about Immobilise please visit the immobilise website using the links below.
Links:
Recipero launch dedicated news and comment site
(December 2008)
The new website features news and comment concering all of Recipero's products, services and realted industries. As well as corporate news, the site also features interesting aticles relating to the Immobilise National Property Register, CheckMEND, and the Police's NMPR plus Recipero's other services.
To view the site please see the links below.
Links:
New Immobilise website launched
(23rd December 2008)
A new version of the Immobilise National Property Register website has been launched this week. The new site replaces the old design and offers a further improved user experience.
Immobilise is the world's largest free possession ownership website with 18 million users and allows individuals and businesses to register the details of their possessions or company assets on the National Property Register and Recovery Service.
In the event of loss theft any item can be flagged on the global stolen property checking service CheckMEND (www.checkmend.com). If someone then attempts to sell the item it can be identified as stolen by any prospective buyer.
In the United Kingdom the item is also placed on the UK National Police stolen goods database viewable via the Police search portal the NMPR (www.thenmpr.com).
For more information about the Immobilise property registration service and how it is used with in the UK please follow the link below.
Links:
CheckMEND launch Blog
(May 2008)
The CheckMEND blog aims to keep the public, retailers everyone else in the industry updated and up to speed on any online shopping criminality, crime prevention topics and stolen goods statistics. To view and contribute to the CheckMEND blog please visit it at the link below:
Links:
Recipero launch UK police endorsed lost property reporting system
(March 2008)
The ReportMyLoss website (www.reportmyloss.com) is a free online service allowing the public to report the loss of goods or property directly to the police. Instead of being placed in a standalone computer system or worse a book, the loss report is immediately available to police on a national basis ensuring recovered lost property is quickly reunited with its owner. Avon and Somerset Constabulary, one of the first forces to take up the system, records approximately 42,000 loss reports each year, the introduction of the system is hoped to save the force near to 1000 staff days each year freeing finance and officers to perform other duties.
All loss reports are also flagged up on CheckMEND (the national second-hand property database), ensuring traders and buyers of used property are able to avoid handling goods which are reported as lost and may well be blocked in the case of mobile phones.
"Avon and Somerset Constabulary believes that by using Reportmyloss.com to record lost property, will be a big step forward in improving our ability
to investigate lost property. It will free up a significant amount of time in our Force Service Centre and significantly improve our service to the public.
The more forces that use this method for recording lost property, the better our investigative opportunities will be."
Philippa Brett, Priority Crime Team, Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Links:
eBay recommends CheckMEND
eBay the largest online auction web site now recommends that buyers should check the items they are buying are not listed on the MEND database via the CheckMEND service. As part of their customer care and advice service all mobile phones listed on eBay in the UK will have a link to the advice page giving buyers and sellers guidance on how to buy and sell mobile phones safely on the site.
Link:
The Government has launched a new £500,000 national publicity campaign aimed at tackling mobile phone crime.
(July 2007)
As part of this campaign the Home Office has issued advice on its web site which includes registering on Immobilise and using CheckMEND when buying a second-hand phone. Both services are provided by Recipero. The radical adverts play on the current trend for making pictures from punctuation and distributing them via mobiles and social networking websites such as Facebook and Myspace. The message is blunt: the mobile phone industry blocks stolen phones within 48 hours so buying one is a waste of money. Primarily aimed at 16-25 year-olds, the adverts will feature in magazines including Heat, Zoo and Nuts, on websites such as Ebay, Loot and Gumtree and be emblazoned on phone boxes and litter bins in youth social hotspots.
Network subscriptions in the UK have increased from 17 million to 72 million in the last eight years and although the majority of thefts occur when a handset is left unattended, mobile phones are linked to over 50% of robberies. Crime Reduction Minister Baroness Scotland said:
" Effective and imaginative Government communications have played a key role in driving down crime by over 35 per cent over the last 10 years. By working behind the scenes with the mobile phone industry to achieve ambitious targets on blocking stolen phones and by passing legislation outlawing re-programming a mobile, we have paved the way for this savvy campaign that promises to deliver real results."
Chairman of the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum Jack Wraith said:
" In July 2006, the UK mobile phone industry introduced a Crime Reduction Charter to tackle mobile handset theft. One of the commitments in that Charter was to block 80 per cent of mobile handsets across all UK networks within 48 hours of them being reported as stolen. Independent testing showed that we actually achieved 90 per cent. This, we believe, sends a clear message to any thief or potential buyer that stolen mobile phones will be blocked on all UK networks and, once blocked, will be useless."
The campaign is scheduled to run until mid-August 2007.
