Unclaimed property is a mystery
Help police find owners of lost items at station
SIX war medals found on a Rangeville street handed in to police the day after Anzac Day are among items left forgotten at the Toowoomba police station.
The Chronicle was this week given an exclusive glimpse at the items stored in the property unit in an effort to reunite them with their rightful owners.
Along with items seized during police raids in the region are the lost and unclaimed pieces which have been surrendered by well-intentioned members of the public but have long been forgotten about by their owners.
Police suspect some of the items may have been stolen and casually cast aside by offenders while others, such as a Gucci watch found on a CBD street, may simply have been lost.
Inspector Stephen Angus said some items had been reported stolen and, with careful police checks once objects were recovered, had been returned to the lawful owners.
Mixed with watches, wallets, necklaces and other semi-precious pieces of jewellery are the war medals which were handed in by a member of the public after they were found on Tourist Rd on April 26.
The Toowoomba United RSL Sub Branch identified the medals as Iraq 2003, Afghanistan Service Medal, Iraq Service Medal, and a 60 Days Continuous Service in a tactical assault group or recovery force.
One of the medals is believed to be a peacekeeping medal, possibly from NATO or the United Nations.
Inspector Angus said the medals had been handed in and police were hoping to reunite them with their rightful owner or family.
He said the war medals were rare to have been held in the property office for about four months, and would expect that they had been noticed missing by their owners.
“It would be great if we could see them returned,” he said.
“Police do locate quantities of stolen property from time to time and often we can link it back to the owner, and return it to the rightful owner.
“That’s why we encourage people to report their lost or stolen property as soon as possible.”
Items are typically held at the property locker for 60 days after police run down reasonable lines of inquiry including trying to match the goods to a list of reported stolen or lost
pieces.
In certain instances, police make an appeal through the media to reunite owner and item, with moderate success.
Unclaimed property is then sent to auction with proceeds forfeited to the Crown.
Among the stored items at the Toowoomba police station are those which have slipped through the auction or reclaimed cracks is a Gucci watch found on a Toowoomba CBD street in February this year.
A gold chain, handed to police in July last year after it was found on along Alderley is also among the items, as well as a distinctive patterned wallet discovered at a Darling Heights home in June this year.
Inspector Angus said people had been found to have not reported stolen items for various reasons, but it complicated the process of reuniting the items with owners.
Items can be reported to Policelink online and residents are urged to provide as many details of the items as possible to help police identify anything surrendered.
Inspector Angus said people, if they felll victim of a crime such as a break and enter, should also report it as soon as possible.
Any residents who suspect they may have property held at the police station are encouraged to phone the office on 4631 6424.
See the full gallery of lost and unclaimed items online at thechronicle.com.au.