THE South African Police Service urgently appeals for the assistance of each and every community member, to keep proper record of all their electronic equipment.
This is required, especially if you become the victim of a burglary. Many times the only way that the personal property stolen from your residence can be tracked, located and returned to you is through a record of the serial numbers on the property.
Serial numbers on stolen property are entered into the South African Police Service national computer database that can be accessed by officers and detectives who are investigating recovered property to determine whether the property is stolen and can be returned to the owner.
In addition, second-hand dealers and pawn shops, a possible destination for burglary suspects with stolen property, are mandated by law to record the serial numbers on property being pawned. The serial numbers on pawned property is regularly compared with the serial numbers on stolen property.
If a piece of your personal property does not have a serial number, you should attempt to engrave a personal identification number somewhere on it. -REPORTER
