New website to help track stolen items (From Wiltshire Times)
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New website to help track stolen items
8:00am Sunday 29th January 2012 in Corsham
John Carter says checks with his new website will only take people a matter of seconds
A Corsham man has launched a website to combat theft, recover stolen goods and enable people to buy secondhand good with a clear conscience.
www.iamstolen.com is the work of John Carter, 60, who wants to aid the victims of robbery, burglary and thefts.
People who have had items taken can log details and post pictures of their belongings on the website, as well as declare how the crime has made them feel.
Mr Carter said: “People seem to accept that burglary, theft and robbery are part of life, but they shouldn’t.
“Crime has a debilitating effect on society and I want to do something to change that.
“As High Court judge Colman Treacy said recently, burglary can have effects of trauma far exceeding the initial crime.
“I want to promote a change in moral outlooks, so that secondhand shop owners, antique dealers and even someone being offered a cheap TV or computer in the pub will look at the website first, to see if what they are being offered is stolen.”
Mr Carter said that smartphones made the website even more useful, as it would take someone a matter of seconds to check if the item they were being offered was too good to be true.
Mr Carter said he picked the name “I Am Stolen” as he thought it emphasised how victims of these crimes felt.
All details of valuables, together with serial numbers and any security markings, will be left on the website until they are recovered, so antiques dealers, market traders, police and insurance companies can watch out for any suspicious items.
The website’s users will log details through user names and passwords, so their home addresses remain private, and will receive updates and information via their mobile phones.
Mr Carter said: “This is not a vigilante organisation. It is the job of the police to enforce the law and we will pass all information we receive to them.
“We are just trying to encourage people who are offered cheap goods to check if they are stolen on their smart phones and let us know if they are suspicious.”
For more information, visit www.iamstolen.com or email Mr Carter at john@iamstolen.com.
