DESPITE reports police forces will stop taking lost property, Hampshire Constabulary has said its policy ‘remains unchanged.’

Speculation about a controversial move by chief constables made headlines in several national newspapers earlier this month.

The worry started with a report submitted to the Chief Constables’ Council recommending police forces ‘cease the recording of lost property reports.’

Some forces, such as Leicestershire and Kent, already prefer not to handle lost property and others only accept items if they pose a risk to the public or are directly related to a crime.

Instead, many forces recommend an online service called Report My Loss, which in most areas costs £4.95 to record a missing item.

There is no legal requirement for police to take lost property and, with officer time spread thin, it’s seen by some as a service ripe for cutting.

But Hampshire Constabulary will carry on with its policy, at least in the short term.

A police spokesman said: “The current details around how we manage lost and stolen property is on our website. This process remains unchanged.”

But the force only records and retains certain items, and already urges people to hand finds into other bodies.

So, if you stumble across something on private premises, shopping centres, hotels or on public transport, it should be handed into the management or service operator.

“Officers will only be interested if it’s a ‘firearm or explosive device,’ which should be reported immediately.

They will also not take a report for driving licences, which should go to the DVLA, UK passports or bank cards – all of which will be returned to the issuing agency if given to the police.

Also, they don’t want anything to do with alcohol, clothing, keys, food, umbrellas, or wallets, purses and handbags which don’t contain identification.

In addition, lost animals should be reported to animal welfare organisations, while cutlery or kitchen knives should go to recycling centres, and any medication should be dropped off at a pharmacy.

The advice for bicycles is to leave them in situ and contact the local council.

Similarly, if you’ve lost something, Hampshire Police won’t take a report if it’s been gone for more than four weeks, or was lost on private property.

They also do not take reports for lost cash, glasses, hearing aids, low-value items, keys, computers or mobile phones.

The force will only record high-value items, for example jewellery or watches, lost in public places within the previous four weeks.

But they are actively using social media to try to reunite as many people as possible with property that is seized or recovered during investigations.

A further complication is a lack of reception desks.

Following the closure and subsequent relocation several East Hampshire police stations, the nearest counter service is now located at Aldershot, Basingstoke, or Winchester.

During an emergency the advice is still to call the police using 999, or call 101 for non-emergency situations. The public can also visit www.hampshire.police.uk or email [email protected]