What is a theft alert?
A theft alert is sent by email to hundreds of dealers in the UK and overseas, and it appears on theft-alerts.com, and in SalvoNEWS - a trade newsletter. Each theft alert gives the date the item was last seen, the approximate location (nearest town), details and a photo of the item, police contact details and police crime reference number. It does not contain any information personal to the loser.
Eligible items
Stolen architectural antiques, sculpture, antique garden ornament, church, churchyard and war memorials, and items illegally removed from protected monuments, buildings and landscapes. In fact anything which can be bought on http://www.salvoweb.com
What is the recovery rate?
Salvo monitored recovery and kept statistics, checking each recovery with the police, between 1995 and 2001. The recovery rate during that six year period was 14 per cent. Since 2001 we have not kept stats but it would appear that recovery levels have dropped significantly. We believe there are two main reasons: the types of item being stolen are now harder to identify (flagstones, millstones, staddle stones, mass-produced iron seats etc) and the police have downgraded the priority level of the recovery of stolen goods due to a lack of resources and an increase in other types of crime.
Salvo sets the standards
Salvo Theft Alerts have been running since 1992. Each theft alert is printed in SalvoNEWS and has, since 1995, also been advertised on the web. A quarter of UK police forces subscribe to the Salvo Theft Alerts system to inform dealers, auctioneers and others, about stolen garden and architectural antiques. Salvo is the oldest established theft internet site in the world, and has set a standard which others are beginning to adopt: each Salvo Theft Alert contains a police crime reference number (the key to successful recovery), police contact details, a description and photograph of the item, the date and approximate location of the theft, but NO information relating to the loser. Salvo has provided this service for eight years with no breach of security of any kind.
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Police subscribers
Avon & Somerset Police
Cumbria Police
Devon & Cornwall Police
Kent Police
North Yorkshire Police
North Wales Police
Northumbria
Nottinghamshire Police
Police Service of Northern Ireland Antique Unit
South Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police
Insurance companies
Some insurance companies are concerned about recovery, because a high profile campaign to recover stolen items can deter crime. Insurance companies can use Theft-Alerts.com to run their own theft alerts which will be searchable as a group across all theft alerts raised. They can have their own domain or run theft alerts as part of their existing web site. All theft alerts will have to contain police crime reference numbers and police contact details. There are a number of specialist insurers who already use printed 'theft alerts' in magazines like SalvoNEWS, Trace and the Antiques Trade Gazette. Theft-Alerts.com could be an additional means of recovery. Rewards may be offered, subject to the usual conditions. Salvo takes no part of any reward offered.
Special Interest Groups
Some special interest groups may wish to run theft alerts for their members. Special interest groups could include antique tractors, rare birds, antique sundials or fountains. A special web page or pages can be set up catering solely for their area of interest. Theft alerts will be searchable and will contain police crime reference numbers and contact details.
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