Police come into possession of considerable property items on a daily basis.
Sometimes it’s property that has been lost by someone and then handed into police as ‘found’ property. Sometimes it is property we have seized as part of an investigation.
Generally, these items can be grouped into a few types:
• lost property
• found property
• seized (as evidence) items
• impounded vehicles.
We work very hard to locate the lawful owner of property so it can be returned to them, or to tell the owner that the item must be forfeited to the Crown and disposed of.
Sometimes, even after all our efforts, we cannot find the lawful owner for lost/found property and as a final step we issue a public notice stating that, if not claimed, the property will be disposed in a way the Commissioner considers appropriate.
As you can imagine, we can only store these items for a limited time if the owner cannot be found.
You can help us return lost or stolen items to you by engraving your goods with your driver’s licence and/or keeping photos in case they are lost or stolen.
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Don’t forget to check out our local Facebook page myPolice Sunshine Coast, as we regularly post pictures of property.
At the moment, we are desperately searching for owners of three lots of money that have been handed in to police.
For more information on the circumstances of this money, please refer to our Facebook page.
Drinking in public
One of the questions we get asked a lot as the weather starts to warm up is: if you are over 18 years, can you drink alcohol in a public place in Queensland?
The simple answer is no, you can’t drink alcohol in a public place in Queensland, unless the area is a licensed premises or is declared as a wet area (eg concert).
You can be issued with an on-the-spot fine for consuming liquor in a non-designated public place, at $137.
This column is compiled by Acting Sergeant Sandy Atkinson of the Sunshine Coast District Crime Prevention Unit.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Call 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.