Garda launches app to make returning stolen property easier

An Garda Síochána has launched a new app that will make investigating and returning stolen property easier.

The app allows members of the public to index and record their personal property, including bicycles, laptops or farm machinery. The app will enable the public to take photographs, record receipts, store registration codes and photograph the property markings. It was launched on Tuesday on the first day of the National Ploughing Championships at Ratheniska, Co Laois.

If a member of the public has had property stolen, they can also report the theft to the Garda via the app. The benefit of having all of the records on the app is that an investigating garda will have access to detailed information on the stolen property, such as serial numbers, receipts and images of the stolen items, all of which will assist with the investigation. If stolen property is recovered by the Garda, it is more easily returned to its rightful owner provided a record is kept of identifiable information, a spokesman said.

The An Garda Síochána app can be downloaded on the Google Play store, the Apple store or via the Garda website.

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Any information entered into the app is then either stored locally on the device, or backed up to a user’s cloud account, depending on the preferences set up on the phone. No data will be stored by An Garda Síochána, the spokesman added.