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Legal issue. "lost" mobile phones in Taxi. What do
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Author:  chris007 [ Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Legal issue. "lost" mobile phones in Taxi. What do
Hi

After a conversation with one of my mates we were wondering what we should do legally if a mobile phone is lost in the taxi.
If the phone can not be switched on to find out any users details etc and only the IMEI number helpful, what do you do.
You can't hand it into a provider such as Orange or Vodafone as you can't tell if it's one of their phones.
I assume you should hand the phone to the Police as lost property. What would happen next. Do the Police keep the goods and sell later if not claimed? Does the person who handed in the mobile receive it back if it's not claimed?
Would it be wrong to hold onto the mobile and keep checking websites such as Checkmend personally to see if the mobile has been reported lost or stolen?
If the mobile has not been reported lost or stolen within 3 months or so, would it then be wrong to sell the mobile on?
Tricky one as I'm sure many drivers find them quite regular - and many probably find there way onto Ebay.
We don't have a lost property department as we are mostly self employed and not through an office.
Chris
Author:  Sussex [ Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Legal issue. "lost" mobile phones in Taxi. Wha
chris007 wrote:
I assume you should hand the phone to the Police as lost property.

Hand it into the police and say you want to lay claim to it if it's not recovered within the required time period. :wink:
Author:  Sussex [ Fri Jul 11, 2008 3:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Legal issue. "lost" mobile phones in Taxi. Wha
chris007 wrote:
I assume you should hand the phone to the Police as lost property.

Of course you could do what many do and chuck out the sim and keep it. [-(
Author:  grandad [ Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:22 pm ]
Post subject: 
All found items in my cars are handed to the police. I have taken a phone back once and never even go the cost of the fare so let them collect.
Author:  Brummie Cabbie [ Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
grandad wrote:
I have taken a phone back once and never even go the cost of the fare so let them collect.


We always give passengers the option;

We take the lost property to them & they pay the taxi fare, OR we take it to the police station within the time-frame allowed by the bye-laws.

They usually take option one & the telephone conversation, as all telephone conversations, at the HC radio base is recorded, so there is no come back.
Author:  Nigel [ Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Legal issue. "lost" mobile phones in Taxi. Wha
chris007 wrote:
Hi

After a conversation with one of my mates we were wondering what we should do legally if a mobile phone is lost in the taxi.
If the phone can not be switched on to find out any users details etc and only the IMEI number helpful, what do you do.
You can't hand it into a provider such as Orange or Vodafone as you can't tell if it's one of their phones.
I assume you should hand the phone to the Police as lost property. What would happen next. Do the Police keep the goods and sell later if not claimed? Does the person who handed in the mobile receive it back if it's not claimed?
Would it be wrong to hold onto the mobile and keep checking websites such as Checkmend personally to see if the mobile has been reported lost or stolen?
If the mobile has not been reported lost or stolen within 3 months or so, would it then be wrong to sell the mobile on?
Tricky one as I'm sure many drivers find them quite regular - and many probably find there way onto Ebay.
We don't have a lost property department as we are mostly self employed and not through an office.
Chris


We keep a hold of them for 24 hours then we take them to the Police station, I got a call last week from the Police the other day about a bag full of CD's I found the car, they told me to come and collect them as no one had been in to claim them. The CD's were crap not my music so I took them to the local Cancer Research shop.
Author:  MR T [ Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:33 pm ]
Post subject: 
Over the years I have known one or two drivers to be prosecuted for not handing in articles that they have found in their vehicles.............. stealing by finding............ the law of the land overides council by-laws.............
Author:  chris007 [ Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:40 pm ]
Post subject: 
Cheers for your posts - I assumed the correct thing is to hand anything into the local Police station and if it's not claimed I would hope the driver would benefit in some way for being honest.

Chris
Author:  cabby john [ Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:17 pm ]
Post subject: 
grandad wrote:
All found items in my cars are handed to the police. I have taken a phone back once and never even go the cost of the fare so let them collect.


I have has exactly the same experience - other than that a handbag was left in the car with enough details to contact the woman concerned - I rang her telling her where she could pick it up from, or I would take it to he local nick - no more free running around from me.
Author:  cabbyman [ Sat Jul 12, 2008 7:53 pm ]
Post subject: 
Our LA 'require' us to take any lost property to them. But, they are not happy to receive it so I generally only take it to them if someone has really pi$$ed me off and I want to give them some subtle grief!
Author:  Sussex [ Sat Jul 12, 2008 8:30 pm ]
Post subject: 
cabbyman wrote:
Our LA 'require' us to take any lost property to them.

Recipe for disaster. [-(
Author:  growler [ Sun Jul 13, 2008 10:30 am ]
Post subject: 
Last time I took a lost mobile phone to the police station as per our local hackney bye laws I was told by the civilian on the desk hat it was not their policy to accept lost goods found on private property an that I should hang on to the phone and someone might claim it. This was six months ago and it's still in the office desk drawer. Nobody tried to ring it and nobody has asked about it in all that time. It's not a particularly good phone so along with several of our own redundant ones it's going to one of those charity shops that collects them for third world countries.
Author:  Brummie Cabbie [ Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:15 pm ]
Post subject: 
cabbyman wrote:
..... so I generally only take it to them if someone has really pi$$ed me off and I want to give them some subtle grief!

I've always liked this idea when someone has pashed the trade off!!!

Imagine a posse of driver's going to the 'lost property' to hand in 'lost' handkechiefs, bic pens, half packets of chewing gum etc., etc.,
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