Will you ever get your precious valuables back?
Many thousands of personal and general household items are stolen every year and the recovery rate is very low. This is not a criticism of the relentless efforts of the Police but an indication of the growing activity of impulsive and professional burglars.
Robberies are often committed by unsavoury characters who are driven by drugs and seize any opportunity to strip you of the possessions you have worked hard to acquire.
Because the Police have limited resources and there are new addicts threatening your lifestyle every day, there is an increasing need for you to take precautions to safeguard what you own.
Unless you can give the Police accurate details of every item stolen you will be unlikely to ever see those items again.
A well compiled Asset Record can give you a complete record of your valuables. Items listed in terminology that is easy to understand and photographs alongside the more valuable items would aid recognition by Police and support any insurance claim you make.
Obviously items that can be easily identified will not only aid the Police to recover your valuables but it may lead to fewer robberies if criminals and their associates who buy the items are caught & prosecuted more frequently and promptly.
What if you recognise your stolen goods at a Police Auction?
Police often auction goods which are recovered if there is insufficient means of tracing the owners.
Most mass produced items have serial numbers and a model number by which they can be properly identified. If you have a record of the numbers, you increase your chances of recovery of those items if stolen.
Without irrefutable proof of ownership, stolen and recovered items will proceed to auction and be sold to the highest bidder.
A well compiled Asset Record can provide proof of ownership and, if the Asset Record is prepared by an independent third party, it has credibility. A list created by the owner does not have quite the same level of credibility.
Wouldn't it be disappointing if you identified your stolen property at the Police Auction and had to stand by while a stranger bought it for a fraction of the price you paid for it?
This would not be so bad if you had insurance and the items were easily replaceable but some of your personal treasures may be irreplaceable.
Possessions like gifts from loved ones have more than monetary value. A well compiled Asset Record can contain details which describe how much these special items mean to you.
I have been actively developing a Family and Personal Asset Record for about 5 years and have discussed my project with Police, Insurance Companies and Insurance Brokers who have all acknowledged the need for such a service.
Friends, business associates and strangers I have spoken with all agree that they should make a list of all of their personal items but less than one in five hundred canvassed even took the trouble to record the serial numbers of appliances they purchase.
Photographs of jewellery or valuable art pieces - sculpture, paintings etc - would be a great assistance to the authorities if items were stolen or lost if a fire. But who bothers to take action until a calamity occurs?
I have created a computer database for my own use which is not commercially available and I would welcome comment from anyone who perceives the idea of creating and maintaining a detailed Asset Record has merit.
Over the last 5 years I have investigated an enormous list of benefits and some elements that need further consideration. Maybe you have some thoughts on the way you would advance this concept?
The primary objectives of an Asset Record are to find a combination of features that would:
- Give homeowners a greater degree of protection for their valuables
- Record accurate information to help authorities recover stolen property
- Simplify identity of items destroyed by fire
- Give insurance companies a much clearer picture of what they are insuring
- Lead to lower insurance premiums and more effective insurance cover
