Lost Property Policy

Purpose

The following policy and procedures have been designed to ensure the secure handling, storage and processing of lost, found and abandoned property. The policy aims to ensure that property is held safely and reunited with the owner wherever possible. When it has not been possible to reunite property, it is donated or disposed of in a fair and timely manner.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Your Trust is not obliged to record or store any personal belongings or lost property. However, Your Trust centres will operate a reasonable process which will record and retain lost, found and abandoned property for a specified amount of time as detailed and defined below.

1.2 Customers are strongly advised to report any lost/found property to a Your Trust staff member immediately as this will help to efficiently reunite lost/found items with their owners.

1.3 Your Trust centres will not be held responsible for customers valuables, possessions and personal belongings. Belongings are to be secured properly by the user by using the provided lockers in appropriate areas of the building. Belongings and valuables which are placed in the lockers are left entirely at the owner’s risk. Your Trust will not be held responsible for any loss, theft or damage to customers valuables. In the event of theft or robbery, the person reporting this must log the incident with the police and complete a Your Trust incident report form. Your Trust will cooperate with the police to
help supply any evidence we may have as part of their investigation, in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.

1.4 Property is defined, classified, valued, retained and disposed of appropriately as detailed in the guidelines and procedures below.

2.0 Customer-Facing Communication

2.1 Signage is to be displayed in customer facing areas advising customers to secure their personal items and belongings by using the lockers provided. No items are to be stored in the lockers overnight, all items must be removed from lockers upon customers leaving the building. Any padlocks left on lockers overnight will be removed and any items left in lockers will be removed, logged and stored as per our lost and found property policy and procedures.

2.2 Signage is to be displayed in centre giving the details how to report lost or found items e.g. in person at reception, via phone call or email.

3.0 Staff Training

3.1 Staff should be trained on the lost property policy and procedures when they have an initial induction or reinduction of the building.

3.2 Prior to implementation of this policy all Managers and Customer Service Assistants should be trained on all aspects of the policy and sign a training register to confirm they understand the policy.

3.3 The policy is to be added to Future Fit online training to track compliance.

3.4 The policy is to be added to Staff Mis as an available document for staff to access.

4.0 Definitions

Property is defined as follows:

4.1 Lost property: an item which the owner/keeper has lost or mislaid in a location without knowing where but wishes to recover or report it.

4.2 Found property: an item not belonging to the finder that has either been unintentionally lost, mislaid or intentionally abandoned by the owner and is handed in.

4.3 Abandoned property: an item which has been intentionally abandoned in an area and left intentionally and insecurely e.g. in an unlocked locker or cubicle, or left in a locked locker overnight.

Property is assessed and classified as follows:

4.4 Returnable high value items (identifiable/unidentifiable): laptops, keys, mobile phones, cash, jewellery, personal devices and other items with an estimated value at over £100.

4.5 Returnable low value items (identifiable/unidentifiable): cash (less than £100), clothing, footwear, bags, clothing accessories, floats, armbands, goggles, baby seats.

4.6 Returnable value items of personal identification (identifiable): credit cards, store cards, driving licences, identification cards, cheques, passports, ID cards, medication.

4.7 Non-returnable items (identifiable/unidentifiable): unlawful e.g. drugs, ammunition, firearms, or dangerous items e.g. poison, knives.

4.8 Non-storable items (identifiable/unidentifiable): any underwear, soiled items, toiletries, wet clothing, wet towels, water bottles and food storage containers.

5.0 Reporting

5.1 All property recovered by staff will be retained in accordance with the lost property policy. We therefore strongly advise customers to approach us if they have lost property in the first instance.

5.2 The lost property record will contain details of items recovered from customers or staff. Record sheets must be retained for 12 months.

5.3 All lost, found and abandoned property must be handed in to the Managers Office. The Customer Service Assistant on duty will record full details of the property in the Lost Property Log and ensure this is countersigned by the Assistant Manager on duty.

5.4 Where a customer reports lost/mislaid property but there is no record of it in centre then this should be logged in the lost property book with details of the item, date and contact details (should the customer grant their permission).

5.5 Items which are handed in and logged should be cross-referenced against any previous reports of lost items as there may be contact details available reporting an item lost prior to being found.

5.6 If the lost property log contains personal information/details, then this must be kept in a locked container or safe; only accessible to the Assistant Manager/authorised personnel.

5.7 The lost property log must always be completed by Your Trust staff to prevent unauthorised access to personal details.

6.0 Retaining

6.1 A number and bag system must be used in conjunction with the recording process to easily identify items in the storage container. The number must be logged on the lost property log and labelled on the bag with the same number.

6.2 Where it is unclear to the Customer Service Assistant what classification an item falls into, the Assistant Manager must assess the item and make a judgement on its classification. To remove any uncertainty, all items of clothing will be classified as low value items.

6.3 Cash or items containing cash must have the cash sum verified by the Assistant Manager on duty and a witness before an entry in the Lost Property Log is made which must be countersigned by both. The cash/item should then be placed in a sealed envelope, with the Lost Property Reference Record number written on it, in a locked safe.

6.4 Safety equipment such as floatation aids (armbands, life jackets/ vests, baby float chairs) will only be retained and stored if the condition it is found in is undamaged and deemed still fit and safe for purpose. All such items should be allowed to dry and deflated prior to storage.

Property Classification – Lost, Found and Abandoned:

6.5 High value items

6.51 Returnable high value items shall be placed in an appropriate secure container in a lockable safe for 90 days. Where cash is found, and the owner is identifiable, an attempt should be made to contact the owner.

6.52 After 90 days where returnable high value items remain unclaimed, the item will be handed over to a charity, placed in the general waste or recycled. In the case of cash, unclaimed monies may also be donated to a charity.

6.53 When items are donated or disposed of, this will be noted to include a record of whether the item was donated and where to, or was disposed of, and when either action was taken.

6.6 Low value items

6.61 Returnable low value items shall be placed in a secure container in a locked room only of access to authorised personnel for 30 days. Where cash is found, and the owner is identifiable an attempt should be made to contact the owner.

6.62 After 30 days where low value items remain unclaimed, then the item will be handed over to a charity, placed in the general waste or recycled. In the case of cash, unclaimed monies may be donated to a charity.

6.63 When items are donated or disposed of, this will be noted to include a record of whether the item was donated and where to, or was disposed of, and when either action was taken.

6.7 Items of personal identification

6.71 Returnable value items of personal identification will be retained securely and safely on site for 14 days. Where ID is found and the owner is identifiable, an attempt should be made to contact the owner.

6.72 After 14 days where items of personal identification remain unclaimed the police should be notified and arrangements made for the items to be collected/ handed over to the police.

6.73 When items are handed to the police, this will be noted to include a record of when this was done and to which Officer number or police station it was handed in to.

6.8 Non-returnable items

6.81 Any non-returnable items must be reported to the police immediately and an incident form completed recording the item and police log/reference number.

6.82 Non-returnable items shall not be retained on the premises for more than 7 days.

6.83 After 7 days where items of personal identification remain on site, the police should be notified again and arrangements made for the items to be collected/handed over to them.

6.84 When items are donated or disposed of, this will be noted to include a record of whether the item was donated and where to, or was disposed of, and when either action was taken.

6.9 Non-storable items

6.91 Where an item has been classified as a non-storable item then this item will be disposed of accordingly as waste.

6.92 It is advised and deemed to be good practice to still log the non-storable items in the Lost Property Logbook and clearly annotate as disposed of with the reasons why. This provides evidence why we do not have the item in storage when the claimant knows it was left on our premises and can prevent further complaints/accusations from occurring.

7.0 Reclaiming/Reuniting

7.1 There should be an attempt where possible of notifying customers of any low value, high value or identifiable returnable value items of personal identification. This is only possible if there are contact details available with the item or previously logged contact details provided. This attempt should be logged on the same lost property log sheet and dated for future reference.

7.2 Claims for lost, mislaid or abandoned property should be made to the Customer Service Assistant with approval required from the Assistant Manager on duty.

7.3 Claimant(s) must present valid photographic identification and sign for all items claimed and record their full name and address.

7.4 For cash to be released, the sealed envelope from the safe should be opened by the Assistant Manager and the contents confirmed with the claimant against the details that have been logged in the Lost Property Log.

7.5 Where a query is raised regarding an item via telephone or email then the Customer Service Assistant should inform the claimant in advance that they will need to bring proof of their identity upon collection of the item.

7.6 Under no circumstances should found property be released without verification of identity and a signature.

8.0 Donating/Disposing

8.1 Each month an Assistant Manager will review all unclaimed lost and found property that has exceeded dates of the policy guidelines.

8.2 Where unclaimed items exceed our storage guidelines they will be donated to a charity, handed over to the police or otherwise disposed of.

8.3 The Lost Property Log must be annotated accordingly and should be signed by the Assistant Manager.

8.4 For value items handed over to organisations e.g. police/charities, a receipt should be obtained from the relevant parties and attached to the lost property log.

8.5 An annual audit of lost property logs should be completed to ensure compliance by removing any old items/details on file, and identify any trends.