If you can’t find a personal property item, make sure you contact any places where you may have left it before reporting it as lost to police. Then if you still cannot find your property, complete the report lost property form online. You will receive an email within 48 hours with your police reference number.
Use this form only if you:
Do not use this form if your property has been deliberately taken.
If you find property that someone has obviously lost, take it to your local police station.
If you find goods or money, you can’t keep them. In fact, police can charge you for keeping goods or money you’ve found that you don’t hand in.
If you tell the police that you’ve found something of value, they may later return the goods to you if they can’t find the owner.
You can report stolen property online.
If someone leaves property with you, this is called bailment. Under the law of bailment, you must take reasonable care of the goods and not damage them or take them from the owner.
If you get rid of someone's property, you may be responsible to the owner for its value or even be charged with theft.
If the person refuses to take the property back, you’re still legally responsible for it unless you come to an agreement with the owner. In this situation, you should get legal advice.
Property identification is useful when your property has been stolen, but also when you’ve lost it.
Last updated: 27 August 2024Find out what is happening right now with crime and police at myPolice Queensland Police Service News.